Multiversal Chaos: Path of the Saviour
by Xovercreator
Summary: After having begun his journey as Multiversal Saviour, Richard now begins his true training, to become a worthy hero. Read on, as he conquers many trials to come, and learn from many people around the multiverse, as he understands it all, and becomes a hero like the ones he reads in stories.. (Volume 2, Arc 1: Gensokyo in progress)
1. Preview and Pilot

**Multiversal Chaos: Path of the Saviour**

 **Story preview**

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Summary of the story so far:

Richard Zhao Liu, a 15-year old boy from a world similar to that of our own, has been chosen to be a multiversal hero, against the forces of the Darkness, a mysterious force that seeks to bring an end to the multiverse, by turning all of existence into nothingness. During his battles, he has trained in Hyrule of the Legend of Zelda universe, and has become a adept swordsman, and has managed to recruit Link, Zelda and Impa to his cause, with much appreciation, meeting the Darkness for his first time, in the same universe.

He then travels to the Sonic Generations universe, in order help Sonic, and their past selves to defeat Eggman, and thus prevent the Darkness consuming the universe. With the help of the multiverse, and his friends, he managed to beat back the frontlines of the Darkness, foiling their attempts. However, during his journey in the Star Fox Assault universe, he, and Flash Dove, a sky pirate who has been considered a hero in many universes, has encountered the General of the Darkness, Lingyue. They battled against him, and managed to get a close victory, with Richard being beaten, strengthening his resolve to be more stronger. Richard also earns his immortality from the dimension-travelling Phoenix herself, earning the ability to come back to life, as long as his own soul persists.

Now, after saving the universe, Richard now heads for Gensokyo, in order to develop his abilities and skills, to be able to become a fitting guardian for everyone. His years in Gensokyo will begin from this day forth, as the Multiversal Saviours has been formed to begin their task of banding the various heroes of the multiverse together.

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 **Preview: Meeting Yuyuko Saigyouji**

Richard soon runs up the long stairway, through to the palace in the land of the dead, Hakugyokurou, as he is now dressed in a entirely new attire, now wearing a black bomber jacket over his shirt, and wearing long grey pants, with pockets on the sides, and the same runners that he wore as a part of his casual attire, as he also now has, instead of Heaven's Will, a reddish long-sword with flame markings on it.

When he reaches the front gate of the temple residence, which was large black metal gate complete with golden studs, Richard stops just before the door, and then knocking a few times with clarity on the door, as there was no response, before a young woman dressed in a green dress, with white frills around her skirts, and markings of white magatama-shaped spirits are on the lower part of it, and black strap-shoes with white socks, and her hair is white and short, styled to have several fringes on either side of her head, with a black bow hairband on her head. She stares at Richard, holding a long slender sword, with her green eyes.

"What is your matter here? Hakugyokurou is a land for the dead, and you certainly are not a dead spirit or soul. As guardian, I demand you answer." The woman said to Richard in a aggressive tone. "Even more, how were you able to find the location?"

"I seek audience with Yuyuko Saigyouji, Princess of the Netherworld, for I wish to pass on a message from a old friend of hers." Richard stated with politeness.

"And how do I know you have no intent to harm her? She is my mistress, and I will not risk letting you pass, if you intend to harm her, no matter what." The woman spoke again, this time shifting into a defensive posture with her sword pointed at Richard.

Richard only closes his eyes, and sighs, before grabbing his new long-sword, and placing it on the ground.

"If you trust me not, then I shall lay my arms here. Should I ever threaten your mistress, then my head shall soak the soil of this beautiful garden. I mean no threat, and this will prove it." He replied with sincerity.

The guardian of Hakugyokurou only stares at Richard, showing a hint of affection, before hiding it under a mask of seriousness, before she then turns away from Richard.

"I see that you don't seek to harm her. Very well, I'll take you to Mistress Yuyuko." She said to Richard.

"Thank you for understanding." Richard thanked the guardian with a smile.

"You are welcome, as long as you are polite and respectful." She answered back.

The guardian soon leads Richard into the residence, walking through several hall-ways, complete with Japan-esque sliding doors, with pictures of sakura blossoms and trees on them. They soon reach a door, much larger, and styled much differently, with a picture of a large sakura blossom tree, with monks praying underneath it.

"We are here. My mistress is past this door, and I shall stand guard here, to keep her safe from any threats, even if you aren't one." The woman stated to Richard.

"Again, I thank you for not turning your blade on me fully, Youmu Konpaku." Richard appealed in a complimenting tone.

"Hm? You know my name, yet you did not speak of it, until just now? Why is that?" Youmu, the guardian, replied in a inquisitive tone.

"I speak of your name, because I believe that you would think of me as a observant enemy, should I said it back at the gate." Richard explained. "I speak of your name, because you, Youmu Konpaku, heiress to the Konpaku-style kenjutsu, and daughter of the late Youki Konpaku, the previous Sword Saint of Gensokyo, have put your trust in me, and in turn, I believe that I should hide nothing from you."

"I see... Yet, I do not know of you, until recently." Youmu said. "I do believe that you are Richard Liu, local hero of the Human Village, and one of the main incident-resolvers during the Scarlet Mist Incident, where you are rumoured to have gotten Sakuya, maid of Remilla Scarlet, to pay respects to you, before letting you off to continue your task, and defeating the Scarlet Sisters with the help of Reimu Hakurei, the shrine maiden of Gensokyo, and Marisa Kirisame, the honour-less thief that is a magician. Am I correct?"

"I prefer not to be spoken to be of the same level as them. I was only merely lending my hand to help, and my battle with Sakuya has opened my eyes to the gaps of power that lay between me and her, and Remilia and Flandre have tested my limits to the fullest potential, as they are not to be underestimated. I am merely a powerful human, but not as you think." Richard replied to her.

"So you may be, but to others, you seem like you are on par with those two incident-resolvers." Youmu insisted.

"Very well, very well... If that's what you believe, I will not judge you." Richard begrudgingly responded back.

Richard soon opens the door slowly, and enters the room, to see the room is covered by a large straw mat, with a low-top table, where a woman dressed with a blue mob-cap, complete with a white paper triangle lodged in the middle of the hat's front, and a red swirl is on it, and wearing a light-blue blouse, with several faint white ghostly spirits floating around her, kneeling next to it, with her black strap shoes, that have blue ribbons on top of them, placed together next to her, with her white socks the only thing on her feet, as she is drinking a cup of tea in a traditional Japanese manner, by having her hands perpendicular to each other when holding the cup, with her upper lip only touching a slight portion of the teacup's rim, as there is a black clay tea-pot on the table.

Richard then proceeds to take off his shoes, leaving his feet bare, as he silently bows to the woman, who puts down the tea, and stands up to return the silent bow, as they kneel down slowly next to the table, as the woman pulls out from under the table, another tea-cup for Richard, as Richard watches as his cup is filled by a small spirit that lifts the tea-pot up, and pours the green-pinkish tea into his cup, as he picks it up in the same way the woman did.

"So I take it, that you are mistress Yuyuko Saigyouji, guardian of the Saigyou Ayakashi, and princess of Hakugyokurou?" Richard asked in a civil manner. "I see that Yukari Yakumo has underestimated your beauty, by saying you're merely 'beautiful'. With a face as soft as yours, and a figure that complements the perfect beauty of a sakura tree, you can be called a goddess of beauty among normal humans like me."

"My, I think you for your compliment, kind stranger. Indeed, I am Yuyuko Saigyouji." Yuyuko introduced herself. "It seems that you have met Yukari, and she must have told you to meet me, for you to know her, and her exact words of me. May I ask of your name?"

"Very well. I am Richard Liu, with a middle name of 'Zhao', and I am a young boy who is among the journey of becoming a young hero that'll carry the burdens of every person in this land, and protect them from the horrors that may come to them." Richard formally replied. "You need to not ask of my name, for even if you demanded it, I would give you the same response, as you are the princess, and I am the young guest before you. I have been working through the lands like a laborious worker, and I have earned the respect of many people, including the young mistresses of the Scarlet Mansion, and their residents."

"So you are... The rumours speak true of you. If you were to be a spirit in my domain, I would never bear to separate with you, as you are a pure soul that doesn't deserve to be consumed by the dark throes of the Higan, and the Yama." Yuyuko stated with a smile. "So, what is your reason to seek me?"

Richard only takes a sip of his cup of tea slowly, before looking at Yuyuko. "The reason I seek you, is because I wish to see what Yuyuko Saigyouji is, as your friend Yukari Yakumo, has told me." Richard spoke to her, with clarity. "She was the one who will observe my own journey on this land, and I prefer to have as much acquaintances as possible. I may not know you personally, but I'll do my best to be your friend, as a hero who greets a renowned princess."

"Oh, you flatter me, young Richard." Yuyuko chuckled, before her smile wavers a bit. "As much as I am happy to hear such a proposal from you, I'm afraid that you won't have enough time to know me enough..."

"But, Yuyuko." Richard replied, putting a finger up. "What if I told you, that I am ageless? Would you then believe that I would die before I can have a proper relationship with you? I may be immortal, but I am not interested in your hand, but instead your friendship."

"And why is that?" Yuyuko asked Richard. "Why is it that you do not seek for my love, even though you complimented me so."

"Because... I have yet to find my destined partner, Princess Yuyuko." Richard answered in a humble voice. "Would it be insulting for me to call you 'Princess Yuyuko', when I called you 'Yuyuko' earlier? I am not meaning to show bad manners like these intentionally."

"No, it is fine to call me either, Richard." Yuyuko replied, pulling out a fan, and covering her mouth with it, as a smile is hidden behind it. "After all, you've done well to pay me respect, even though I'm not one to be touchy about attitudes to me. Yukari usually talks with me in a much more causal manner, but you chose to speak like you're a guest to a honoured host. So, I believe that you wouldn't have anything that I would dislike, in your manner and personality."

"And you are truly generous, if you were to be alive, there would be no man that would be ever truly deserve you hand in marriage." Richard joked.

Richard and Yuyuko laugh, with Richard laughing heartily, and Yuyuko chuckling lightly, as Richard wipes the tears of joy from his eyes.

"It seems that we have been talking for quite a while." Richard said, as he felt the cup to be less warm than it was before. "It would be quite rude if we were to let our cups of tea to run cold. It wouldn't be kind to your servant, since the little spirit worked so hard to please its mistress and her guest."

"Indeed. I can say that, you have been a truly respectful guest. Never for a long time here, have I received a human that would revere me as a host and princess well. I can say that death would do you no kindness to the world, by taking you away." Yuyuko responded softly.

"Hm... Even if death comes to me, I will die with no regrets, because I have met a maiden like you, and I have fulfilled my role as a great hero by then." Richard answered back.

Richard and Yuyuko soon drink their tea in silence, as they soon finish, as Richard puts his cup down, before letting out a satisfied sigh.

"Truly, I have never drank tea as exquisite as yours, Yuyuko." Richard complemented Yuyuko. "I could even taste the sweet scent of the sakura blossom on my lips, even when I have drank all of it, and the taste leaves me satisfied, as I feel that I have reached true peace with my inner body.'

"I see, so you regard my tea so." Yuyuko smirked. "Do you wish for another cup?"

"No, unfortunately. I have to return to the Human Village, and continue my training there. I have yet to become a hero of the masses." Richard sighed in disappointment. "But should I have the time, I will consider returning here, for another round of banter with you, and more of that charming tea."

"Very well, then I pray for your safety, young Richard, and your success in becoming what you aspire to be." Yuyuko replied to Richard with a dear smile.

"And I thank you, for being a gracious host, and accepting someone as young as I, to be your tea partner." Richard replied, as he got up, and put on his shoes. "Yuyuko Saigyouji, what a beautiful name you have, and what a kind person you are. I hope that we will meet again, on better terms."

Yuyuko only smiles, as Richard leaves the room, closing the door behind him. He walks through the hall-ways, looking for Youmu, only to see her already busy on tending the garden, ignoring Richard, as he simply pushed the door open.

He then turns back to Hakugyokurou. _So this is what Yuyuko Saigyouji is like..._ He thought. _It's a shame that soon after this meeting, she will initiate her plans to revive the Saigyou Ayakashi, only to be stopped by me, Reimu, Marisa, and even Sakuya. I feel sorry that she has to be so nice, but forced to do a atrocity like this. I swear, that I will make her see reason, when I next meet her._

Richard soon then turns away from Hakugyokurou, before running down the stairs, and the road back to the Human Village.

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 **Multiversal Chaos: Path of the Saviour**

 **Coming soon.**


	2. Chapter 1: Into Gensokyo

Multiversal Chaos: Path of the Saviour

Arc 1: Richard in Gensokyo

Chapter 1: First Steps in the Mystical Land

Disclaimer: Richard, Gus, the Shopkeeper, and the Creator are mine, the rest belong to their respective owners.

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After having saved the Lylat System from the Aparoids, Richard and his team has dedicated a lot of their time to training for their trip to Gensokyo, where Richard will be living in, as he will be trained to his limits.

He even took the time to train himself, practising both his hand-to-hand combat and his swordsmanship with Fuxi and Ares, who were happy to oblige, as they conducted Richard through various exercises, such as long-runs to train his endurance, and spars to test his skill and strength, as he challenged himself everytime, and ended up exhausted.

Over the time, Richard has began to change in appearance. His hair is now styled to have a few spikes in front, and he dons a entirely black shirt, as opposed to his casual shirt, and he wears a black cloak on his back, and black jeans, with black casual shoes. His arms now bear black leather wrist-pads as protection of his hands.

Several months later, he heads towards the Essence Shop, to spend on gaining new skills and abilities for himself and his team, as the Shopkeeper was waiting inside of the booth, arms and head laying on the stand, as she wears a bored expression and her her left hand was tapping impatiently on the wooden board. She then gets up when she sees Richard, and immediately smiles.

"Hello again, my dear customer~" The Shopkeeper teased. "It seems that you and I rarely even meet, so why don't we talk about our own lives."

"Uh, thanks, but I rather not ask about your life." Richard replied, before muttering to himself in a inaudible voice. "Not like that you have one..."

"Aw... Why are you so cold to me?" The Shopkeeper asked, in fake sadness. "You do know that I'm still not taken, right?"

"MOVING ON!" Richard exclaimed, trying to keep himself from hearing the last phrase, although he did blush momentarily. "What are in your wares, Shopkeeper? I need to stock up, because I'm going off for training in a place more dangerous than you can even imagine."

"Alright~ Feel free to have a look!" The Shopkeeper answered back energetically.

 **ESSENCE SHOP:**

 **Multiversal Essence Held: 30000**

 **Upgrades:**

 **Customisable Weapons: 10000 Essence**

 **Allows certain weapons in your party, to be customised with several basic traits, such as different ammunition, added charge, or increased power. Requires a expert in the respective field of the weaponry, to allow customisation. E.g technician for sci-fi weaponry, and blacksmith for medieval or magic weaponry.**

 **Abilites:**

 **Magical Barrier: 5000 Essence**

 **Negates a single magic attack, regardless of strength. The cooldown is 30 minutes. Can be upgraded naturally, or through the shop.**

 **Healing Studies: 10000 Essence**

 **This ability will allow the use of basic healing skills for the person, provided the person has enough mana to use it, and have the skills to use it.**

Richard only took a moment at each of the abilities, thinking about how they can be applied, before then deciding to summon someone, pulling out the sole Summon Gem he has, and placing it on the ground slowly, as the gem disappeared in a flash of light, which Lana appears out of.

"Hello, Richard! It's been a long time that I have been outside of this gem, but I really enjoyed it in there. There were a library filled with books for me to read and study, and the plain outside of it was filled with beautiful flowers and trees!" Lana joyously said to Richard.

"I see that you have great patience." Richard smiled. "I thank you for enjoying your time in there, but I might need a bit of help from you."

"Hm? What is it that you need help from me?" Lana questioned with curiousity.

"...How good are you studying healing?" Richard asked back. "I need someone to be there to heal my wounds, but also be safe from any serious danger. I decided you would be a good choice, because you're a resident of the Summon Gem, and you may have temporary time outside the world, you still have enough time to help us, and leave before the battle gets serious."

"Oh, healing? It's one of my most favourite elements! I'm sure that I have enough power to heal you." Lana replied.

"I know, but I want to give you something that'll make you even stronger. Just watch." Richard told Lana, as she only nodded.

Richard then brought the Healing Studies ability, as the Shopkeeper just pulls out a orb of light, with a smile, as the orb of light floats towards Lana, and enters through the centre of her chest, as she begins to feel that her knowledge of magic has increased.

"Wow... This power, what is it?" Lana asked, surprised.

"It's a new power, Lana. Since I never used you, I have decided that you would become our healer." Richard explained. "This power allows you to expand your horizons on healing magic. Don't get me wrong, you're still strong as a combat magician, but I believe that you're the best to take the mantle of being a healer for us, because we'll be relying on your help a lot."

"Of course, if it'll help everyone with us, I'll be willing to do this small task for you!" Lana said.

"Alright then, then would you mind testing your magic on me?" Richard asked, before placing Heaven's Will down on the counter, and turning to the Shopkeeper, with his right hand on it, exposing his palm. "Shopkeeper, mind if I ask a favour, slice open this palm of mine, but make sure the cut is not too deep. I want to see if she can handle minor injuries, because these are the most common."

"My, my, you're asking for me to hurt you?" The Shopkeeper teased. "Aren't you a naughty boy? I can do that, but you better not be crying if it's hurts too much. I won't be kissing your little wound, if it's too much for you."

The Shopkeeper only takes the sword, and swipes the tip of the blade diagonally across Richard's exposed palm, causing him to grimace slightly, as the open gash begins to bleed slightly, as Richard lifts his arm and points his palm to Lana.

"There, that should be enough. Try and heal this, if you can." Richard stated. "Visualise that you're closing the wound, or causing it to disappear, and that the pain inside the wound slowly fades away."

Lana then proceeds to gingerly touch Richard's wound, before concentrating her energy on the wound, as the wound begins to heal itself at a accelerated rate, with the blood being drained from the wound, and the skin kneads itself back together.

"Nice... It seems that your magic has gotten stronger." Richard complimented. "But what was that magic you used, when you were carrying that soldier, back when I first met you at Faron Woods?"

"Ah. That magic was only a weak healing spell. Back then, my magic wasn't strong enough to heal up wounds, so I used my magic to help ease the pain of the soldiers, so that they can endure and fight longer. But the consequences of my magic are severe, as the pain could build-up without them knowing, and some have truly died from this procedure." Lana said, before turning away. "If only I worked harder, then there wouldn't be as many deaths as there was."

"The past has elapsed, Lana. There's no point in despairing over the past. People may have died protecting you, but you repaid them, by helping them stand and fight. If it wasn't for your help, we would have never been able to break through the blockade of enemies in Faron Woods, and our quest would have ended. But it's because of you, that we are together and fighting." Richard comforted Lana, with a hand on her shoulder.

"Thank you... You always remind me of why you deserve to be a hero." Lana replied. "I guess it's time I head back. I'll be there when you need me, and I will do my best."

Lana then disappears again, as her Summon Gem lands in Richard's left hand, as the right hand was healed.

"That's one of the things that I desperately need, checked off the list. With Lana healing, there is no way that we will have to sit down, and lick our own wounds metaphorically." Richard said to himself. "Now... That Magic Barrier... If I remember correctly, danmaku is a kind of magic by itself. So if I have this, I basically have a one-off shield, that'll protect me from anything, even a direct laser to the face, but that doesn't mean that I can get cocky. It does have a fair cooldown for a good ability, and that's why I have to be training, because that shield has jack-to-none help against someone far stronger than me. It's kinda like a extra hit in the same game. And as for the Customisable Weapon upgrade... If it wasn't possible to customise my own weapons, even with the help of blacklsmiths and techinicans, then this should allow me to get help in making weapons that'll adapt in our situations. Especially Gensokyo... Fox is not going to enjoy being there, if he's got nothing to charge his gun with... After I buy this, I'll need to ask Nitori to provide assistance in adding a solar power source for his blasters."

Richard then purchases the Magic Barrier ability, and the Customisable Weapons upgrade, before then seeing something on the counter behind the Shopkeeper.

There was a stand, with many weapons on it, but what caught his eye, was a silver sword, that has phoenix wings on either side of the hilt, with a flame emblem placed in a open socket in the centre of the hilt, and the blade has a crevice that runs down the centre of the blade, down to halfway down the blade, with a thin blue aura that surrounds the edges of the blade.

"Hey, Shopkeeper, what kind of weapon is that, and when did you begin selling weaponry?" Richard asked the female owner.

"Oh, that? That, my dear customer, is a weapon that matches Heaven's Will in origin, being created by the Creator's own hands and magic. This is Emberlight, a broadsword that is suited for sword-masters and people strongly affiliated to fire elements. And about the second question, I started, since I gazed upon your party, and they are severely under-equipped. Considering that I'm not one to let my customers die, I have brought out many of the Creator's custom weapons, for you and your friends to use. They're yours to use, given that you have the price paid." The Shopkeeper smirked, before speaking in a darker tone towards the last statement with a frown, shown by a aura of killing intent behind her back.

"I see... What's the price for Emberlight, exactly?" Richard questioned her.

"5000 Multiversal Essence. I could have made it higher, but you're good at conserving your currency, so this price will fit you enough." The Shopkeeper replied. "You want the sword?"

"Yep, it's for my friend Gus. Other than some simple fire spells, and good piloting, he's got nothing else to defend himself with. The others will handle themselves pretty well." Richard answered back.

"Then it's a deal~!" The Shopkeeper cheerily said, as she took the sword, and gave it to Richard. "See you next time, Richard!"

 **ITEMS PURCHASED!**

 **REMAINING ESSENCE: 0**

 **THANK YOU FOR BUYING FROM THE ESSENCE SHOP!**

Richard only takes the sword, before gripping it all around, testing the material of the sword, as he feels that the blade is quite tough, yet also durable, before he then swings the blade with both hands, doing a few wide swings, before doing a series of quick ones, as he deduced the sword was much heavier that Heaven's Will, since even though he trained with a sword like this for a long time, the sword still wasn't easy to use.

He then entered the Training Zone, which was now converted into a large gym, with all kinds of equipment and rooms, as the entire team was training there.

Link, now back in his classic green garb, practising his swordsmanship on a moving humanoid wooden dummy, armed with twin swords, that seems to be able to counter, evade, and also attack back at Link with great efficiency, creating a tough and battle-capable opponent for Link to train against, as he managed to get a few shallow hits on the dummy, as it often blocked the sword away, before it can cause serious damage on it, before Link then managed to parry a blow from the dummy, causing it to stagger, before Link then slashed with his might a few times, causing parts of the dummy to fall apart, before he then decapitated it, as the head bounced off the ground of the gym, before the parts of the dummy disappeared, with Link only let out a grumble, as another dummy, now armed with a bastard-sword attacked Link.

Zelda was practising her archery, as she was given a target range, ranging from different distances from her, and various targets, shaped into different enemies and targets, with some of them small, and some of them large. She proceeded to draw her bow, and fire upon the targets rapidly, while continuously loading arrow after arrow from her quiver onto the string, to be fired. Every shot she made was honed to near perfection, as she struck even the farthest of targets, which were about 100m away, to their respective weak-points, even hitting bulls-eye on those targets. She showed no sign of exhaustion, as she kept on firing arrow after arrow with precise accuracy.

Fox was in a white simulation room, with the area structured like a battle arena, filled with covers, alcoves, and many other pathways. He was fighting against various enemies that Richard and his team met, as he proceeded to switch between hand-to-hand combat and ranged combat without any rest, attacking without any mercy. He snapped the neck of one of the monkey soldiers that was within his range, and throwing the corpse at a pack of approaching Moblins, staggering them, as Fox shot them all in the head without any rest, before then flipping his blasters backwards, to shoot one of Eggman's Robots, that was sneaking behind him, before taking hip-shots to dispose of the enemies around him. He then proceeded to dive to cover, as a monkey soldier, wielding a machine-gun fired wildly at his location, with the horde of enemies advancing in front of him.

Antonio was in another simulation room, as he was in a obstacle course, that was complete with targets for him to shoot, as he sped across the course, using his dual pistols to aim at any targets in his way, and destroy them. He was surrounded by many traps, including a laser wall, moving walls, and automated turrets that are set to shock him should he slow down enough to be aimed at, and managed to dodge most of them, while managing to endure the pain of being hit by some of them.

Impa was practising her own power and precision, as she had her eyes closed, with a long line of metallic targets on swinging pendulums in front of her, that are going at different speeds. After the targets have lined up with each other, she opened her eyes, and swung her blade with all her might, as the targets broke one by one, stopping only at the last few, as the rest are cleaved cleanly in half, right in each of the centres, the last one was scratched severely by the power of the blade.

Gus, having now taken a new appearance, as he is now in a red thin robe, that wraps around his body, with his hood down and exposing his head, and black leather boots, who was continuing to practise his magic, in a secluded room, sealed to avoid allowing his rampant magic to destroy anything outside of it. He began to manipulate the fire, instead of just creating it, as he used the new skills to create a long stream of flame, which scorched the area in front of him for a while, as the stream died out. He then charged up, before letting out a burst of fire around him, forming a protective barrier of flames around him, as they swirled around the area.

"Hey Gus!" Richard called out. "I've got something for you!"

Gus, hearing Richard's voice, stopped his training, before approaching Richard.

"Oh, Richard! What do you need from me?" Gus asked. "What do you think of my training so far?"

"You're doing much better than I am, Gus." Richard replied with a smile. "And my purpose here is to give you something."

Richard then handed Emberlight onto Gus's hands.

"I managed to find this in the Shopkeeper's wares. It seems that she has noticed that we're obsolete on weaponry, not that she is trying to insult us, and gave me this for a fair price to me." Richard stated. "This is Emberlight, something that is made like Heaven's Will and Golden Barrier. I feel like that this sword will suit you, by the name, considering it has to be some sort of weapon imbued with its own fire element. This should put us on even terms."

Gus's eyes only widened, as he began to examine the sword slowly and carefully, as if he was bestowed a treasure, and his mouth was open with awe and shock, before he then looked at Richard, as if he wanted Richard to admit that this was not real.

"I... I don't know what to say, Richard. But I'm truly grateful, that you cared for me, and brought me a strong weapon like this." Gus said, surprised.  
I mean, you didn't have to. I can handle myself pretty well, with those futuristic guns that we managed to loan off from the Cornerian army, as a small favour for our continuous help."

"I know, but remember, you're with me for the entire journey. I may not be social, but that does not mean that I do not care for my party. You may be strong, but compared to the others, you're the weakest, and I have to rectify that as soon as possible." Richard replied. "If you had a weapon of your own, you'll have more chances of fending off for yourself, and helping us in dire times."

"Thank you, Richard. I really don't know how to repay you." Gus thanked Richard.

"You don't need to. All I need is your approval, and your consent." Richard answered back. "I do not care if you're indebted to me or not, as long as you'll use this well, you have already paid me back."

Gus only nodded, before then shifting his hands to grip the sword properly, before the blade suddenly becomes engulfed with flames, with the fire wildly flickering out, threatening to burn either of them, although they fail to reach either of them, startling both Richard and himself, with them trying to get the sword safely away from them, with Gus trying to keep the sword pointing away from him.

"Damn! What happened!? I only just wielded the sword, and it went like this!" Gus exclaimed. "Richard, I can't wield it like this! What's going on? Why is this happening to me?"

"Calm down, Gus!" Richard called out. "Try to manipulate the energy inside the sword. I'm sure what's inside is the element of fire. If you can control it, it'll stop burning like a matchstick. I may be no magic expert, but I think you unknowingly channelled your power into it, and the way to stop this is to lessen the flow. Even if you're not experienced, you should be able to stop it, since they are your flames.

Gus only closed his eyes, taking Richard's advice, and slowly trying to pull his power out of the sword, as the flames began to slowly die on the sword, leaving the blade bare.

"It's gone, Gus. But try to see if you can control your flow this time." Richard stated.

"How?" Gus asked. "How can I do it?"

"Maybe put your power in it slowly this time, and keeping your focus on it." Richard suggested to him.

Gus then gripped the sword, as he kept his eye on the blade, as the blade began to envelop in flames again, but this time, the flames slowly appear from the top of the hilt, and slither down the blade, before leaving a sea of flames over the entire blade, that is continuously flowing towards the tip of the blade.

"Holy shit... Gus... I think you just got something better than what I have." Richard spoke with awe. "You can literally imbue your element in your sword, and you got magic! Damn, Gus, you're a flaming spell-blade!"

"Um, what do you mean?" Gus questioned, not understanding Richard's term.

"You can use magic, and you can wield a sword! That means that you're built for both front-line combat and ranged support!" Richard replied with vigour. "You're going to surpass me in terms of power, if you keep this up!"

"Really? That's quite good! I might be able to help you in that 'Gensokyo' place of yours, maybe take down some of the beings that might threaten you." Gus responded back.

"Some beings? No, but some of the lesser youkai? Hell yes!" Richard whooped. "My friend, you're going to become a hero like me."

"But... even if I can control my mana on that new sword, I don't know how to use it well." Gus answered, realising something.

"Don't worry, I think that there's a way that we can train that. Link and I should be able to help with this, considering how we both know how to fight like a expert with a sword." Richard replied. "For now, just try and practise swinging. Oh yeah, and form some unique slash combos of your own. It should make the enemy always predict your next attack, while you have memorised the pattern well."

Richard soon turns to leave the Training Zone, just as he looked back to see Gus testing out his sword with a few slashes, and then walking towards the Creator, who was waiting by the centre of the Core, beside a large purple sukima gap, that was animated with the backdrop of eyes

"Are you prepared yet, Richard?" The Creator asked. "You'll be the first to head to Gensokyo, as the rest will follow you shortly after."

Richard remained silent, before nodding firmly. "I'm ready, whether it's to meet the enigmatic gap youkai that has watched over, lived and even created Gensokyo, or to take my first steps in this land of magic and fantasy. If there is no logic or reason to be found within these lands, then I will do well to keep myself safe from all of the threats that lurk around the land."

"So, you are not afraid, nor curious? Why is that? You sound like Gensokyo is some place that you are very familiar with." The Creator questioned Richard.

Richard only closes his eyes and sighs soon after. "Because I'll tell you a small secret, Creator." Richard said solemnly. "Out of every fandom, the place that I feel most at home at, is Gensokyo, despite how strange and dynamic the land is. Every person there is a person that I can understand and befriend, and my own powers make me feel like that I'm a fair resident of the lands, neither overpowered god, nor useless weakling. To add to that, Gensokyo is based on Japanese culture, one of the cultures that I have come to respect. I may not be a devout worshipper, but I would take interest in it time to time, learning the folk-lore and the myths that define it, so there would be nothing about those lands that would surprise me, unless there are species that are hidden even from the eye of the most cunning human. Hence, that's why I reacted when you told me Yukari Yakumo offered me her land to train in. I will not only train there, but also create my own home there."

"I see, but why is it that you seek to make Gensokyo your land of residence, now that you're taken from the world of reality?" The Creator asked again, wanting to know Richard's reasons. "I can always take you there, if you wished."

"But Creator, do you wish for me to return?" Richard replied, with a depressed tone. "If I was to return, my own powers would eventually stick out. I am no master of disguise, so it will not be long before my powers are revealed to the world there. What will happen then? Will they abduct me, and turn me into some sick experiment for research, or will they find a way to obstruct my mission? I don't belong in the real world anymore, Creator, because when I became immortal, I ceased to be human anymore. I have powers that humans would deem abnormal, and I have a duty to keep to. As much as I miss the world, I chose to separate from it, so that I can be free and in control of what I can do."

The Creator only frowned at this, before bowing her head.

"I'm sorry. It was rude for me to intrude in such a topic." The Creator apologised.

"There is no reason to apologise. I was prepared to be asked this question by either my friends or you." Richard answered back, his tone showing confidence. "I may have forsaken my life in reality, but I will devote what remains of my will to become a beacon of hope to everyone, so that no more of existence will be erased or tortured by the Darkness. I will train well in Gensokyo, and when I leave, my team and I will be ready to face the oncoming threats of the Darkness."

The Creator only nods with a smile. "Then I wish you luck, Richard." She brightly said.

Richard then lifts one of his feet into the gap, as he feels that there was no solid ground in the gap, and then leans forward on his other foot to get the rest of his body through, before pushing off with his remaining foot to get himself to the other side, before the gap closed behind him, as he floated around in the void-like space, as if he was in a zero-gravity environment, before positioning himself straight.

Soon, another gap appears nearby Richard, as a familiar woman appears in front of him, moving out of the gap, with a pink parasol in her hand, and a decorated fan on the other. She then looks at Richard, with a sly smile, and crosses her right leg over her left, as she floated in the space, without any movement.

"So, you are the saviour that was chosen by the Creator?" The woman asked.

"I am. My name is Richard Zhao Liu, born from a world almost the same as the Outside World that Gensokyo used to be linked to." Richard introduced himself with a polite attitude. "I assume that I am speaking to Yukari Yakumo, creator and guardian of Gensokyo, head of the Yakumo Residence and fellow ally to the Creator?"

Yukari only stares at Richard, as he talked, before letting a light chuckle. "You are most correct, Richard. And I am quite impressed of how you know of these titles." She replied with a whimsical tone. "Perhaps you're one of the people who has been looking into other dimensions through 'special' means."

"Right on the spot, Miss Yakumo." Richard replied. "I know of things in the same way you know of things outside of Gensokyo. However, I have yet to even comprehend even the smallest shred of what the real Gensokyo would be like."

"My, aren't you polite and respectful?" Yukari chuckled, as she opened her fan, and covered a part of her face with it. "Like you said to me, you're most correct. Gensokyo is a place that changes with every moment. There is no telling what might happen, even for me, whether it is that I decide to visit the residents of the land, or some minor incident happens."

"I am most happy that you understand all of this." Richard humbly responded to her.

"Now now, there's no need to be all that courteous to me." Yukari chided Richard in a playful tone. "I may be powerful enough to twist realities and dimensions to my own whims, but I prefer that you loosen up, and be more casual. You won't get much friends here, if you don't learn to be yourself, even in tense situations."

"Aye..." Richard frowned. "I'll keep that in mind."

"Anyway, we have been straying from the topic that I have come to discuss with you. I have come with a little warning that I would like for you to keep in mind." Yukari stated.

"I will eagerly listen to whatever warning you have to say. Does it regard the Darkness?" Richard replied back.

"No, it's regarding yourself." Yukari said, as she began to frown. "I want to tell you that no matter what happens in Gensokyo, you must stay true to your own path, ambition and dream. Gensokyo is no land of dreams, Richard, and I am aware you know of this, from the multiverse theory. You will suffer greatly during your training, especially under the tutelage of a certain person, and there will be times where your inner morals and soul will be put to stake. If you are to have the power to become a hero of the mulitverse, you must not let your will waver, or you will never have the will and spirit to become a true hero."

Richard took a moment of silence, after hearing that. "I promise not to stray from my path, Yukari, on the word of my own soul and heart." Richard replied with a serious tone, before thumping his chest with his right hand, clenched in a fist. "I will prove to everyone, that I am worthy of becoming a hero. Even if hell itself comes for me, Yukari, I will stand strong and show that breaking me will take more than whatever it has got in store. If heroes can do this, I've got no reason to back down."

Yukari gives Richard a smile, before closing her fan. "Good, good. It seems that you're quite determined to see your training through. But let's see if you'll keep to your words, Richard. I'm sure Gensokyo has got surprises aplenty to show you. But considering your words, I guess that I should have nothing to worry about, yes?"

"I'm ready, come hell or high water." Richard replied determined.

"Then let's get going then, I'm guessing that you're itching to breathe the air of the mystic land, and live among the people of the land. So I won't hold you here any longer." Yukari said, before opening a gap below Richard. "One last thing, Richard. Should you be able to find me, and prove that you have developed in the lands, I will award your earnest behaviour with something you'll very much enjoy."

"You'll be waiting, but I assure you that you will not be disappointed of what's going to happen." Richard responded with a smile, as he swam through the space into the gap, as it stayed open.

Yukari wore a sly smile, before he heard a moderate cry from the other side, "Yukari, whyyyyyyyyyyy!?" from Richard, before a loud thump was heard, and Yukari winced a bit at the sound.

"Well, he's doing great so far. Out of all of those gappies that my other versions has abducted, he's actually being sincere, and actually accepted what I just did to him without much complaint. If it was anyone else, my ears would have been blown apart by their scream." Yukari murmured to herself, before chuckling. "I'm sure going to enjoy messing around with him, given that he actually hasn't broken anything on his way down."

* * *

 _In Gensokyo, somewhere in the Forest of Magic._

Inside of the Forest of Magic, the surroundings were tranquil. Trees were swaying to the spring wind, as the faint cries of a certain spring-loving fairy was carried among it, the local animals were lucid, engaging in their own business, with a white rabbit hopping through the forest at a frantic speed, and various types of fairies, big and small, were dancing among each other, talking about their own lives in the land that is Gensokyo.

However, the tranquillity of the forest was ruined, as the fearful cries of Richard grew louder progressively, as he fell from the sky, and landed through the trees, which snapped and crackled, as he pushed pasts the many branches, landing on the fresh ground with a seismic thud, his body spread out, and his back taking most of the impact. He laid there unmoving, as a hurt moan leaked out his mouth, and his arm twitched gingerly, as he attempted to move.

"Ow... I think I broke something... It hurts like the dickens..." Richard groaned. "Why, oh why did I had to be the butt of Yukari's joke... I swear that I should have expected this, considering how many gappies entered Gensokyo this way. But why did she had to put me 100m above the freaking forest!? She could have killed me, if it wasn't for the fact that the trees broke my fall, the ground is soft, and Ares made sure my body was strong enough to withstand such an impact. Then again, even if I wasn't strong, this would at most give me a few fractures and a sprained back. Yukari wouldn't kill me all that sudden, especially since she has no idea of what I have become yet."

Richard soon listened to the various natural sounds of the forest, closing his eyes, as he let himself recover from the fall.

"If only Lana was here... I could have had her remove this damned pain on me... But she has to be physically summoned from the gem..." Richard said. "Oh well, I gotta get up now. It may hurt, but tough boys gotta bear pain like a true man. I ain't letting Yukari do me in with a simple fall."

Richard soon got up on his legs, before arching backwards, as he hissed, from how the spine cracked and snapped itself back to position.

"Alright, now... Where the hell am I exactly?" Richard asked. "By the looks of it, I can hazard a guess that I'm in the Forest of Magic, but I don't know how big the forest I'm in is yet, and the Forest of Magic is very huge compared to the others."

Richard soon looked around the area, before he heard a bush near him rustle, as he drew his buckler of Heaven's Will in front of him with one hand, and the other near the sword, preparing to draw and attack in one act.

The bush continued to rustle, before Gus came out with his hands up.

"Gus!?" Richard blurted out, before he withdrew his buckler, and put his hands back where they were. "I thought you were one of those fairies!? How did you get here, and why are hiding in a bush!?"

"We found out that there are things here that are really dangerous. For instance, some group of small flying girls threw magical bullets at us! We barely managed to dodge them, and were able to threaten them off with a few shots, before we hid here!" Gus frantically said.

"'We'?" Richard asked. "You mean the rest of my team is here with me?"

When Richard finished speaking, Antonio, Fox and Link appeared out of nearby bushes.

"Richard, I demand that you explain why you put us in such a situation. If it wasn't for my warning, we would have been hit by whatever those 'fairies' fired." Fox demanded to Richard, with a accusing finger pointing to him.

"I have nothing to do with this, but first, how did you all get here? I thought Yukari would make a gap where you guys..." Richard replied, before his mouth closed with a simple 'Oh.', and slapping himself on the fore-head with his left hand.

"Let me guess, this Yukari person did this to us?" Link asked, unamused.

"Oh trust me, if Yukari tried to cause you trouble, it would most definitely succeed, and you would definitely end up in a much worse situation." Richard moaned. "It's a accident. The fairies must have found you, and they should be either pissed or playful enough to see you as stress toys or make-believe villains. Especially since you, Antonio and Fox, look quite similar to certain species of youkai in the land."

"Youkai? I know what they are, but surely they're the ones that are the monsters here?" Antonio asked, curious.

"No. Antonio, here in Gensokyo, everything is a monster, whether in word, appearance, or power." Richard answered back. "You'll see why, but first, we need to get out of here, before we end up surrounded by fairies."

"Well, how do we get out, Richard?" Fox questioned him.

"No idea. The forest's too big to find where the sun is, and I have no clue to where in the land we are. I suggest we follow one of these paths, and see where it leads us to." Richard said, as he pointed to one of the paths that are in front of them.

"Well, gotta make what we can with what we have, right?" Antonio joked.

"NO." Richard and Fox simultaneously hissed, startling Antonio to move a few steps back.

The group then walked through the path, with Richard leading the group in front, Antonio taking the back, Fox and Link standing side to side in front of him, and Gus taking the middle position.

"Take it quietly, everyone. We do not want to piss off the local wildlife, despite contrary belief. There are normal animals here, but the 'special' ones here will make the fairies you all encountered look like harmless butterflies." Richard warned everyone in his group.

"'Special' animals? You mean that there's exotic wildlife here?" Fox asked.

"Many, Fox. But most of them are absolutely hostile to people like us. Only a few of the animals here are sights worth beholding, and are docile enough to be approached by us." Richard replied, without batting an a eye to Fox.

Link then hears something trailing behind them, before it gets louder and louder, as Link begins to glare worryingly at the back.

"Uh, Richard and Fox? I think something's behind us!" Link cried out.

"What!?" Richard exclaimed, before turning around to stop Fox by blocking his way with a out-reached arm. "This quickly!?"

Richard soon puts his hand on the shield and his sword. "Alright, listen to me here, because this is very important when you are faced with a natural ambush. Slowly draw your weapon, and don't move any more than you need to. Gus, you keep your hands down for now. If you prepare fire magic, you'll be lighting us up as a beacon that has 'big feast' written all over it, especially for those with sensitive heat-tracking skills. If our luck holds out, we might be met by some innocent animal. Otherwise, it's either fairies or... 'them'."

Everyone drew their weapon slowly, as Fox had his blaster on the ready with his eyes following down the scope, Link had his sword drawn to slash at anything that might, Antonio got out his dual pistols, sweeping them slowly around to check for enemies around the group, and Richard was holding his shield firmly in front of him.

Soon enough, a group of fairies approached in front of them, the fairies being young girls the size of Richard's own palm, wearing light-coloured dresses, barefoot, and each having different hairstyles, floating with the flapping of their small may-fly wings on their back.A larger green fairy, which had more mature butterfly wings and was the size of a small child, was leading the pack, as they looked at the group with curiosity.

"ああ？ あなたは誰ですか？ なぜヒューマンビレッジの人間と違って見えるのですか？" The larger fairy spoke in a surprised tone. (Oh? Who are you people? Why do you look so different from the humans from the Human Village?)

"Japanese... When I spoke to Yukari, she was speaking exactly in that language." Richard muttered to himself, before turning to the others. "Can you guys understand her?"

"It's one of the languages that exist in our world, Richard, and I'm quite fluent with it." Link replied.

"Humans existed back in my universe, but the only things we found about them were their literature, art and culture." Fox answered Richard. "I made sure that I could interpret several human languages, and Japanese was the only one that I can translate and speak perfectly."

"My uncle taught me to speak Japanese well. I can understand what they are saying, if not perfectly." Antonio said.

"Uh... こんにちは？" Gus blurted out, confused. (Hello?)

 _Not good. I forgot that Global Language only affects me._ Richard thought. _It's lucky that that the others know Japanese well, but Gus? He's no Japanese guru. And considering that we don't have anything to help him, he's almost similar to being mute and deaf in this kind of situation, save for a few phrases and questions._

Richard only looks at the larger green fairy in the eye, with slight intensity.

"私たちは遠くからの訪問者です。 しかし、私たちは、このヒューマンビレッジを見つけるためにどこに行くのか分かりません。 あなたは私たちに指示を与えるでしょうか？" Richard spoke with fluency. (We're visitors, from a far place. Yet, we have no idea of where to go, to find this Human Village. Will you provide us directions?)

The larger fairy only pondered for a bit, looking at her fellow fairies, who only looked at her, as if they were trusting her to speak for them, before looking at Richard again.

"まあ、あなたが訪問者であれば、少なくとも正しい方向に向けることができま-" The fairy replied to Richard with a nod. (Well, if you're visitors, I can at least point you in the right-)

Before the fairy could finish speaking, two fairies, being in the colour of orange and red appeared in front of the fairy, as their faces were covered in soot, and their wings were slightly singed, evident from the orange glowing from the tips of their misshapen wings. They were crying with tears leaking down their faces, immediately huddling up onto the leader fairy, who brought the two injured fairies closer to her, as she comforted them with a hug.

"何が起こった！？ 誰があなたを傷つけますか？" The leader fairy asked hastily to the two fairies. (What happened!? Who hurt you?)

"ウワアアア! お姉さんに助けてください！ 私たちを傷つける人たちがいたのは、彼らがダンマクでいたずらしたかったからです！ 私たちはそれらを傷つけるつもりはなかったが、そのうちの1人が私たちを撃ってしまい、もう1人が私たちに火を投げた！ それは痛い！ それは本当に痛い！" The orange fairy cried with pain in her voice. (Uwaaaaa! Help us, big sister! There were those mean people who hurt us, just because we wanted to prank them with some danmaku! We didn't mean to hurt them, but one of them shot us, and another one threw fire at us! It hurts! It really hurts!)

 _Fire? Shot them? But there's no-one but us in here, and I doubt there's a wild-life that can do that... Unless...!?_ Richard thought, before his face turned pale. _Shit. This is not good. Not good at all!_

Richard turned to Fox and Gus, who were confused at what they mean.

"Fox, Gus... I'm going to ask you something, and as leader... I order you to tell me the absolute truth." Richard demanded, with a shaky voice, the exact opposite of what he should be speaking with those words. "Did you... actually hit those fairies, that threw those magical bullets at you?"

"We did. Why?" Fox replied nonchalantly.

 _"_ 誰があなたにそのような病気をするのを敢えてするだろうか?" The leader fairy asked. (Who would dare to do such a sick thing to you?)

The red fairy only lifted us a shaking finger to Gus, and then to Fox.

Richard and the leader fairy looked at Fox and Gus, Richard with a look of pure fear, and the leader fairy with a look of unbridled rage, as her fists were clenched tightly enough, her teeth were clamped against each other tightly, and she was emitting bloodlust strong enough for Richard to feel it.

"Gus... Fox..." Richard said slowly, before he then grabbed Link and Antonio by their collars. "RUN!"

Gus and Fox, seeing as the leader fairy was charging up magic in her right hand, which had a orb of green light in it, heeded Richard's word, and sprinted faster than Richard, just as soon as the leader fairy, and her cohort simultaneously threw bright danmaku at them. They went through the forest at fast-speeds, with the fairies close behind them, as they dodged whatever the fairies threw at them.

"You just HAD to go for the renegade option, did you, Fox!?" Richard shouted to Fox, as he ducked his head down to avoid a large orb of danmaku hurled at his head, courtesy of the infuriated leader fairy. "You could have just scared them off with a few shots close to them! You're more than fucking capable of doing such a thing, and you screwed that up, by actually shooting them point-blank!"

"But Richard, we were threatened-" Gus tried to say.

"And you, Gus, why the hell did you had to attack? Don't you know that hell breaks loose in here, if you tried to attack!?" Richard interrupted his friend without any care.

"Well, I didn't see YOU coming to our rescue either, Richard!" Fox retorted back, as he managed to side-step to avoid a stream of fast and precise line of danmaku.

"THAT'S NOT THE DAMN POINT! YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO PLAY PEACEMAKER, AND USE VIOLENCE AS A LAST RESORT, NOT AS A NORMAL OPTION!" Richard roared, before he only sighed, letting go of Link and Antonio, as they sprinted around immediately to catch up with the group. "You know what, I'm not going to bother asking. If we get out of this hopefully without getting a lot of danmaku-induced bruises, I'm going to educate you about not provoking anything in this land, until you are absolutely sure you can deal with the backfire and consequence."

"Sure, I'd rather not end in this situation again!" Fox replied, before jumping over a few danmaku projectiles.

"あなたはこれを支払うでしょう！ 私の友人は一人もいません！ 私は彼らの痛みを10回以上感じていることを確かめます" The leader fairy fumed. (YOU'LL PAY FOR THIS! NO ONE HURTS MY FRIENDS! I WILL MAKE SURE YOU FEEL THEIR PAIN TEN TIMES OVER!)

"よし！" The other fairies shouted out at the same time. (YEAH!)

"Well, geez, glad to hear that they won't kill us!" Richard said with dripping sarcasm. "I'm sure that they just want to talk, right?"

"You don't say, Richard!?" Antonio replied.

They soon run around the forest, making several turns to try and shake off the swarm of fairies that was behind them, only to fail, as the leader fairy barked out directions to her subordinates, and led them towards the group.

"Fox! It would be nice if you actually shot down some of the fairies in our way!" Richard called out.

"I can't! With so many trees and paths in our way, and us running with full speed, I can't run and gun behind myself without a acceptable risk of crashing myself into a tree!" Fox replied back.

"FUCK!" Richard roared. "Are you serious!? You can't shoot, now that we need you to do that now!? Damnit!"

"Look! I see something in front of us!" Link alerted everyone.

They see a clearing in the forest, with a small shrine in front of them, complete with a staircase of stone that was surrounded by small bushes on either side, and a large red shinto gate that signified the entrance, a traditional Japanese sign placed on the centre of the gate with the kanji "博麗神社" on it in yellow characters.

"That place... We have to get to it, guys!" Richard said with determination. "Don't stop! As soon as we pass through the gates, the fairies won't dare to chase us there!"

"But what if there's someone much more dangerous and hostile there!? I don't want to end up worse than what those fairies will make of us when they're done with us!" Link said, frightened.

"Just trust me! No monster, fairy, or feral youkai would dare to take a step here!" Richard assured Link.

They soon reach the stone stair-case, as the leader fairy began to wear a expression of fear.

"いいえ！ 私たちは今それらを停止する必要があります！ 彼らが門を通過すると、害を与えようとすると、巫女は前回と同じように私たちを打ち負かすでしょう！" The leader fairy shouted. (NO! We must stop them now! If they reach through the gates, if we try to harm them, the shrine maiden will beat us up as badly as last time!)

"Shrine maiden?" Fox asked.

"Don't worry, she's nice to people like us." Richard replied, before he muttered under his breath. "I hope..."

The group soon accelerate, just as the fairy begin to intensify their flurry of danmaku, as some of them hit the group, causing them wince in pain, and slow down a little, but they soon manage to reach through the gates, as the leader fairy immediately braked mid-air, with the rest of the fairies following suit.

"私たちは遅すぎる！ 行く！ 行く！ 今は走らなければならない！ 彼女が出てきて私たちを見つける前に！" The leader fairy shrieked. (We're too late! go! go! We have to run, now! Before she comes out and finds us!)

The fairy horde then turned around, and faded back into the forest, as the now tired group fell to the ground, panting like they have done a marathon spanning from one town to another,

"Hah... We did it! We managed to outrun and survive against them! And we found the shrine! Praise Yukari! Praise God! Praise fate itself!" Richard huffed with pride.

Soon enough, the sliding door of the shrine opened, as a slender Japanese woman, with dark blue eyes, black hair that ran down the length of her neck, with single braids held together by red cotton hair ornaments, and a red and white ribbon bow on the back of her head, came out. She was wearing a red and white dress, with long white sleeves that drooped far from her arms, and wore brown shoes with long white frilly socks, with a gohei in one of her hands, and the other rubbing her eyes, as she showed signs of being tired.

"この騒ぎのすべては何ですか？あなたがすべて私を邪魔するまで、私はよく休んでいました。あなたがその前のその妖精であれば、私はあなたをまっすぐに倒して、まったく飛ぶことができなくなるでしょう!" The shrine maiden growled at the group. (What's all of this commotion? I was resting well until you all disturbed me. If you're those fairies from that day before, I'll beat you up so badly that you won't be able to fly at all!)

The shrine maiden soon stops rubbing her eyes, before looking at the group in silence, before her eyes widened.

"え？あなたは誰ですか？私は間違いなくあなたの2人が横浜であることを知っていますが、あなたの残りは人間です。そしてあなたはここから来たわけではないので、あなたは幻想郷でどのくらい終わったのですか？" The shrine maiden demanded from the group. (Eh? Who are you people? I definitely know that the two of you are yokai, but the rest of you are human. And you're not from around here, so how exactly did you end up in Gensokyo?)

"私は妖怪ではなく、あなたは誰ですか？私は、あなたがそれらの妖精があなたを恐れるようにするためにあなたが何をしたかを教えない限り、あなたをとても簡単に信用するつもりはありません。" Fox replied, crossing his arms. (I am not a yokai, and who are you? I'm not going to trust you so easily, unless you tell me what you did to make those fairies fear you.)

"私は博麗神社の巫女である博麗霊夢です。事件の解決者として、私はあなたに自分自身を説明することを要求する。これまでの妖精たちは迷惑な悩みにすぎず、いつも私の神社で何かを台無しにしてしまいます。そこで私は彼らに教訓を教えることにしました。" Reimu said boldly. (I am Reimu Hakurei, the shrine maiden of the Hakurei Shrine. As a resolver of incidents, I demand you explain yourself. Those fairies from before are nothing but annoying troublemakers, and they always end up ruining something in my shrine. So I decided to teach them a lesson.)

"残酷な..." Link muttered. (Cruel...)

"あなたが説明を探しているなら、私はあなたに話すことができます。紫は幻想郷の土地にうってつけになると決めたので、彼女は私に来て、私にこの場所に来るように私に申し出た。私は自分の自由意志で彼女に同意したので、彼女は私をここに連れて行きましたが、私がここで森の真ん中に私を落とす前ではありませんでした。私の人生はここに私の友人が私に同行しています。私たちがここで終わった唯一の理由は、私たちがこの場所への妖精に追われていたことと、あなたがヒューマンビレッジへの道案内をするのに十分良いと決めたからです。" Richard explained the entire matter. (If you're looking for an explanation, I can tell you. Yukari decided that I would be a good addition to the land of Gensokyo, so she came to me and offered for me to come with her to this place. I agreed to her on my own free will, so she took me here, but not before she dropped me in the middle of the forest here. My friends are here to accompany me on my life here. The only reason we ended up here, is because we were chased by those fairies to this place, and because we decided that you would be nice enough to give us directions to the Human Village.)

"そして、なぜ私はそれを信じるだろうか？紫は、自分の娯楽のためではなくて、誰もがこの土地に来ることを容易に許す人ではありません。あなたは外の世界からこの場所に上陸した他の人と何が違うのですか？" Reimu responded with a glare directed at him. (And why would I believe that? Yukari is not the kind of person that would easily allow anyone to come into this land, if not for her own entertainment. What makes you different to the other people who have landed in this place from the Outside World?)

"なぜなら、私は外界から来たものではなく、まったく異なる宇宙から来たものだからです。私は彼女の目に見えた可能性があるので、彼女の唯一の信頼できる友人の一人であった主人公を私の中から選んだと思うので、紫は私を選びました。あなたが強く信じているものさえありません。私はここに持ち込まれてその潜在能力を使うように訓練されたので、私は他の宇宙の皆にとって救世主になることができます。それは真実で、私は紫の自分の言葉に誓ったので、ただの嘘を言いません。" Richard replied without any hesitation. (Because... You see, I am not from the Outside World, but from an entirely different universe. Yukari chose me, because she believes the one who has made me a hero, who was one of her only trustworthy friends, has chosen a hero out of me, because I have potential that was visible to her, which could not be matched by any human that would ever exist, not even the ones that you believe are strong. I was brought here to be trained to use that potential, so that I can become a saviour for everyone in the other universes. That is the truth, and I dare not speak a single lie, as I have sworn on Yukari's own word.)

Reimu only looks at Richard with an indifferent stare, before sighing.

"あなたがここに来ても、幻想郷は何ですか？幻想郷は、外界のおとぎ話や神話のようなものではありません。あなたのような人間にとっては、世界はあまりにも速く変化し、欲しい人を殺す怪物があります。普通の人間なので、あなたはこの土地にはいないが、あなたは英雄になりたい。あなたは本当にそのような到達不能な欲望に従うことに野心的ですか？" Reimu coldly stated at Richard. ( Even if you came here on your choice, do you know what Gensokyo is? Gensokyo is nothing like what is seems from the fairy-tales and myths from the Outside World. The world changes too fast for any human like you to adapt, and there are monsters that will kill anyone they want. Being a ordinary human, you do not fit in this land, and yet you wish to be a hero. Are you really that ambitious to follow such an unreachable desire?)

Richard only frowns, and approaches Reimu, before staring intensely into Reimu's own eyes.

"そして、もし私がそうすることを喜んですれば、霊夢？私はあなたのものよりはるかに大きな責任を託されているので、私は単純な男の子ではありません。私もあなたに感銘を受けることができない場合、私は英雄になるためにはどのような権利が必要ですか？私は自分を訓練するために土地に正確にここに来たので、私は英雄になることができます。私はここで英雄になりたいとは思いません。幻想郷は人間には合わない世界で、紫は私をこの土地に導いたからです。彼女は私をこの土地に進出させてくれた人でした、そして、それが私の唯一の目的です。私がここで死ぬと、私は弱すぎて適応しなかったからでしょう。私が生き残れば、それは紫と私の守護神の両方に証明されます。私は自分自身のような責任を負う価値があるのです。" Richard responded with anger in his voice. (And what if I am willing to do so, Reimu? I am no simple boy, for I have been entrusted a responsibility far greater than yours. If I cannot even impress you, then what right do I have to become a hero? I came here to the land exactly to train myself, so that I can become a hero, not that I wish to be a hero here. It's because Gensokyo is a world not fit for humans that Yukari led me to this land. She was the one who let me into this land to develop, and that is my only purpose here. If I die here, then it will be because I was too weak, and didn't adapt. If I survive, then it proves to both Yukari and my guardian goddess, that I am worthy of taking such a responsibility as my own.)

Reimu soon smacks Richard upside on his chin with her gohei, as Richard stepped back from the rebound of the impact, as she then brandishes the gohei in front of her, pointing at Richard's head, as the rest of the group approached Richard.

"私よりも大きな責任を負うことについて話していない,少年。私は、幻想郷の住民がどれくらいの損害を被ったのかにかかわらず、長年にわたり博麗壁を維持してきました。私は、幻想郷、動物、人間、妖怪、精神のすべての人の生活に責任を負いました。しかし、私は自分の行動には感謝していませんし、私は絶え間ない警戒から何の報酬も受けていません。しかし、ここで私はあなたが何か理由なしで英雄になりたいので、ここにあなたがどのようにしたいと言うことを聞いて聞いています。私はそんな素朴な言葉にも気を付けることができないほど哀れな音です。" Reimu retorted. (Don't even speak about having a greater responsibility than me, boy. I have sustained the Hakurei Barrier for many years, despite of how much damage Gensokyo's own residents did to it. I was held responsible for the lives of every single being in Gensokyo, animal, human, yokai, spirit. And yet I am not thanked for my actions, nor did I receive any reward from my continous vigilance. Yet here I hear you stating how you want to be here, because you want to be a hero, without any reason. It sounds so pathetic that I can not even care about such naive words.)

"Tch..." Richard hissed, before speaking in a sarcastic tone. "誰がより強い責任を持っているかについてあなたと議論するために私はここに来なかった。私は人間の村への道のりしか望んでいない。私はむしろあなたを悩まさず、偉大な巫女です。" (I didn't come here to argue with you about who has the stronger responsibility. I only want directions to the human village. I rather not bother you, O great shrine maiden.)

"神社の反対側の道を歩いてください。私はあなたのような無知な馬鹿たちと一緒に無駄にする時間がありません。あなたは私を怒らせた瞬間、あなたの歓迎は長すぎます。さあ、私があなたを作る前に、出発しなさい。" Reimu said, before turning away, and heading back into the shrine, closing the door. (Just walk the path opposite of the shrine. I have no time to waste with ignorant brats like you. You already overstayed your welcome the moment you pissed me off. Now leave, before I make you.)

"She's gone..." Link said. "Are you alright, Richard? It seemed like she managed to clock you hard on your chin with that stick-like weapon of hers."

"I'm fine, Link. It's just like someone punched me on the neck. Nothing physically is harmed." Richard replied. "But that encounter with Reimu Hakurei might have left me a bit unhappy. I was expecting her to be a bit more lenient and understanding than that."

"What were you talking about? One moment, you got up into her face, and ranted something, and she then smacked you, as if you insulted her." Gus asked.

"She asked me about who I was, and my purpose of being here with you guys. It soon turned into a ugly argument, and left both of us in a foul mood. She was still calm enough to give directions. We follow that path opposite the shrine, and we'll reach the Human Village." Richard answered him. "When we get there, I'll find someone who can help you learn Japanese fast, Gus. You will need it for your stay here."

"What do you mean by her being 'a bit more lenient and understanding than that'?" Antonio asked.

"Believe it or not, her personality is majorly motivated by two things. Annoyances and money, not in specific order. She's a greedy bitch, because she doesn't have much money in her donation box, and she's too lazy to go around and earn her money in the world. Giving her money would be like giving a dog a premium-quality bone or chew-toy. And there's the constant fact that fairies like the ones we met often play pranks and disturbs her, resulting in her grouchy behaviour. When her money runs low, and she is annoyed... Well, you saw the results with me and her talking." Richard explained.

"Wow, she sounds like that she's got little friends here." Fox commented.

"Yep, there's only a handful who she respects and likes, but most of them have quite... dynamic personalities. Maybe if I do a constant money donation, and a prayer to her god, she'll open up for a conversation to me. From there, I can find a way for the two of us to make up for this, and she might even come to like me as a friend and companion." Richard added, before smiling a bit on his lips.

"Yeah, by the looks of it... It's going to take a long time." Antonio replied.

"You'll see, Antonio. Money works wonders on people in this land, especially if the aforementioned person is Reimu Hakurei." Richard smirked. "It's time we leave. After all, we wouldn't want to see her angry now. She's more capable than she looks, so it would be wise not to tread on her toes."

Richard and his group soon move onto the path opposite of the shrine, as they walk through the forest, being much less eventful and lively than before.

"So, it seemed like you know about this place more than I think, Richard. Care to share some information?" Fox asked.

"I will. As I told you, there are monsters lurking everyone on the land, from the ones that are either docile, mischievous or harmless, to the ones that will kill you before you can even comprehend that they were there. However there is one thing that Gensokyo has that other worlds don't. And that's youkai from Japanese mythology. Unlike the monsters you see in the ancient art, most of them are actually quite cute and beautiful, not to mention that the majority of them are females." Richard replied.

"You mean... Almost every monster here is female!?" Antonio exclaimed, expressing his shock.

"Absolutely. If we met the Hakurei Shrine, this forest is called the Forest of Magic, home of the fairies, and most of the natural animal youkai. Some of them have human appearance, but I will tell you about those ones later. There are three other prominent figures in this place, other than Reimu herself." Richard continued on. "They are Rumia, yokai of darkness, Marisa Kirisame, and Alice Margatroid."

"Who are they, Richard?" Gus asked.

"Rumia is a yokai, born from the element of the darkness. She's got some good control over her own element, considering she can create areas of pitch black darkness with her powers, which can help blind her enemies or prey." Richard commented. "She's a bit childish, as matched by her appearance as a young girl, but she's got quite the taste for raw flesh, despite being naive and innocent. Regarding that, the most she can do to you is bite an arm off in her normal condition, but she's just mostly bite until blood leaks out your bite wounds, or snag a bit of your skin for her snack or supper."

"She sounds quite dangerous, yet you make her sound like she's nothing that you cannot handle. Why is that?" Link asked.

"She is dangerous, but however, appearances can be deceiving. She always wears a red ribbon on her head, and for your safety, and the safety of everyone in Gensokyo., that ribbon MUST stay on her head all times." Richard replied. "If that ribbon goes off... Hell breaks loose, and that's not even a fitting metaphor for the havoc she'll wreak once it's off."

"Why is that? Surely a ribbon can't cause a simple yokai like her to turn into a destructive goddess... right?" Antonio asked hesitatingly.

"You don't understand, Antonio. Taking her ribbon off, is almost the same as pressing a big red button labelled 'Activate Universal Self-Destruction'. That ribbon was tied on her head, as a seal, made by ancient beings that have been long forgotten by these lands. It sealed both her memories and power, making her a entirely different person from before. Rumia, believe it or not, was once a goddess of darkness, consuming every single thing in her sight, as fuel for her own darkness. There were no known reasons why she could be sealed like this, and little information about what happened during her existence as a goddess, but I could only guess that she might have had enough of her own power, and sealed it away in order to end the madness her former self created. Nobody can rival her, should that power leak, and even Yukari will struggle to rein her." Richard replied. "The ribbon can be so simply undone, that even a child could unknowingly cause the end of Gensokyo as we know it. So I stress it to you as much as I can: DO. NOT. LET. THE. RIBBON. BREAK."

The group only fearfully nodded, imagining the things the real Rumia would do, should her power and memories return.

"Anyway, next up is Alice Margatroid. She's a yokai as well, but she's more human-like than you can expect. Her profession is being a master puppeteer, being able to control many dolls without ease, and modifying them to the point where they are either semi-autonomous, or powerful enough to defeat most enemies if they worked together in tandem with the other dolls. She does usually wander through these lands, to have a few visits to her friends, but she mainly stays in her humble abode in this very forest, to research for her ambition of creating a doll that has free-will over its own actions, or reading through her own books, to study her magic." Richard spoke again.

"She does remind me of Lana... Except that they have different ambitions, and different ideas." Link muttered.

"And then finally, we have Marisa Kirisame, the Ordinary Black And White Magician, which is one of her self-proclaimed titles. She's quite energetic for a woman, and is much like the eastern witches that people have come to dislike or love, with her assortment of magical tools and weaponry. To challenge her in battle, is like challenging someone who has enough power to flip the ground you stand on with moderate ease. Her own signature spell is 'Love Sign: Master Spark', which is a beam of astral power that will burn through anything that does not have enough defence to bear the attack, and its range is ludicrous to say the least." Richard continued. "However, despite being a respectable opponent, she's also got her troubles. She has a great obsession for immortality, and she's known for stealing the magic of other magicians, including other things of value, as she is a kleptomanic. Not to mention that she could take you for a hard trip, if you were to become your friend, and she could drain you of any energy to do things, while she remains as energetic as ever."

"I would like to see how good she is. She does seem like that she's not much for tactics and finesse." Fox commented.

They soon exit the forest, as the Human Village is in front of them, on the horizon, with fairies and kodama alike floating in the skies, and a certain pair of fairies, one blue, and another green are flying to the village, while many native animals frolick in the plains in front of them.

"I guess we have a lot to learn about this land, Richard?" Gus asked.

"You're quite right. Gensokyo is a mystery for everyone that has heard about it, so it'll be fun to explore it, and learn about the many things that exist here." Richard answered back with a smile. "Now, we take our first steps on this land, on my own journey of becoming a true hero."

Richard and his group head for the Human Village, leaving the Forest of Magic for the beginning of their adventure into the new world.

* * *

A/N: So there we have it, the first chapter of the second volume of Multiversal Chaos. To note about the Japanese dialogue, the text was translated using online services, so pardon if the Japanese text does not align well with the English translation. The Gensokyo that Richard will be in, will contain a combination of canon and many different fanons. I will reference any fanons that are included in the story in the disclaimer. And don't forget to review the story any time you wish.


	3. Chapter 2: Settlement

Multiversal Chaos: Path of the Saviour

Arc 1: Richard in Gensokyo

Chapter 2: Settlement

Disclaimer: Richard, Gus are mine, the rest belong to their respective owners.

"My _name is_ _Richard_ "(italics): Foreign language in the POV of a someone who knows the language.

"Foreign Language": Foreign language from the POV of someone who does not know the language, or from the 3rd-Person POV

"English speech": English language

* * *

In the land of Gensokyo, filled with youkai and human alike, Richard and his group make their way to the human village that lies in the centre of this vivid world. The skies are filled with youkai battling each other with colourful danmaku, and whooshing sounds from afar that carry the echoes of a faraway battle between strong combatants.

The village itself, provides a grand sight, as the village is surrounded by a large traditional Japanese kuruwa wall, and a large wooden gate, connected to a large wooden drawbridge that goes over a flowing river, with several groups of fishes seen to be swimming upstream, and there is even the rare sight of a kappa swimming in it, enjoying being in their preferred environment. The village is also surrounded by many crops, with humans toiling away on the soil and ground, to gain the fruits of their labours in the later days.

Richard soon approached the gate, as the two human guards noticed Richard. They positioned their iron spears rigidly straight beside them, with a resounding clack. The two guards consisted of a man with a tall build, and a female with a slim body, as they both wore light green Japanese haoris with various patterns of clouds and trees on them, under their light-weight guard armour, consisting of a breast-plate, shoulder-guards, gauntlets, and cuisses, all made from a combination of metal and refined straw, as indicated by the outer layer of painted-red straw, revealing the slight gleam of metal layers underneath it. They also bore short-swords on their waists, strapped on by a leather strap.

"停止！ あなたの意思とビジネスを述べてください！" The male guard spoke in a authoritative manner. (Halt! State your intentions and business!)

Fox cleared his throat, before speaking in a humble tone. "我々は離れて村を探している旅行者です。 私たちは武装していますが、人口に対する敵意はありません。 我々はこの土地を探索したいので、私たちが入ることを許可してください。" He said. (We are travellers from afar looking for a village. We are armed but we have no hostility against the population. We want to explore this land, so please allow us to enter.)

"そして、あなたはここで敵対する妖怪の一人ではないことをどのように証明できますか？ あなたは2人が本当に疑わしいです。 私はあなたがキツネの一種だと言うことができます。そして、あなたは未知の動物の妖怪です。 あなたが誰であるかを説明するまで、あなたは合格しません。" The female guard suddenly replied back, shifting her spear to point at Fox, then Antonio, as she spoke. (And how can you prove that you are not one of the hostile youkai here? You two are truly suspicious. I can say that you are a kind of fox youkai. And you are an unknown animal monster. Until you explain who you are, you will not pass.)

"ねえ！ 私たちは真剣にここの人々に害を意味しない！ どのように私たちはあなたにそれを証明することができますか？" Antonio replied, flustered by the sudden hostility to him and Fox, as he instinctively put his hands up, as a universal sign of being of no threat. (Hey! We do not seriously mean harm to the people here! How can we prove it to you?)

"私の友人が入場を拒否されている間、なぜ天狗妖怪が村に入ることができるのか説明してください！?" Richard demanded in a heated tone. (Then please explain why tengu youkai are allowed into the village, while my own friends are denied entry!?)

 _This has literally gone to shit._ Richard thought at the same time he spoke, as he looked at Gus, who's only scratching his head in confusion. _Why does that have to happen at the worst of times!? Then again, we ARE shady..._

"あなたは私たちにそのような態度を与えることを試みることを敢えてしないでください！" The male guard roared, preparing to step up to Richard, before he was stopped by the female guard, with a outstretched arm. (Don't you dare try to give us such attitude!)

"彼らを行かせて、高橋。 彼らは旅行によって身に着けられたようです。 たとえ本当に妖怪であっても、この種の治療法を与えてはいけないと思う。 結局のところ、我々は上白沢が村人を守る持っている、と彼らは彼女のために一致しないように見えます。" The female guard spoke to her partner in a scolding tone. ( Let them go, Takahashi. They seem to have been worn by their travels. I think that we should not be giving such people this kind of treatment, even if some of them really are youkai. After all, we do have Kamishirasawa protecting the villagers, and they seem to be no match for her.)

The male guard, Takahashi, only looked at the female guard with a worried glance, before only sighing, and returning to his position.

"あなたは良い点を挙げています。 あなたはこの土地についてよく知っているようです。 おそらくあなたは「彼ら」の一人ですか？" The female guard asked Richard. (Very well, you raise a good point. It seems that you are quite knowledgeable about this land. Are you perhaps one of 'them'?)

"あなたの信念が真実なら、私はそうです。 しかし、私はあなたが私に期待しているものとはかなり異なっています。" Richard replied with a nod. (If your beliefs are true, I am. But I am quite different from what you are expecting from me.)

The female guard only gave Richard a look, that has a sense of curiosity behind it, as if it was saying the words 'We shall see' non-verbally. She then knocks on the gate, before calling out for the door to be opened, as the wooden gates slide open, revealing the village inside.

The village was well-built and organised, as the buildings were organised into straight blocks, forming wide avenues and streets from the remaining space. The small town is very deceiving of its appearance from outside, as the entire group could see that even though there was little land, there were enough buildings to be able to compare to that of a small city, with its many facilities, that mirrored the uses and appearances of their modern counterparts with their own traditional flair and decorations. There were so many attractions and facilities that laid within the team's sight, as they managed to spot out a street filled with the residences of many of the villagers of the town, and there was a restaurant opposite of the residences, as evident by the benches and tables laid out with plates, cutlery, and various decorations on each and every one of them. In their direct front was a jewellery store, where a wooden sign was hanging on the right side of the shop, with a metal plate that has the name of the store 'Taka's Jewels' written in white Japanese kanji and characters, and a artistic portrait of various jewels under the writing.

The streets itself were bustling with various people, as the village itself experiences a busy day. There are stands for the various shops, and different booths everywhere, as people are chatting amongst each other, as friends or acquaintances, or buying and selling items as customer and shopkeeper. Even children was in the street, playing gleefully with each other, running after each other, or talking to each other like what the adults are doing. There is even the sight of a few human-like youkai, both mature and child-like, as they seem to be blending well into the society of the village, as they are not visibly shunned by the villagers, but instead warmly welcomed and praised.

There was even a large line for a certain booth, owned by a toiling girl with grey eyes and pink hair. She has pointed ears like an owl and light pink bird-like wings with purple highlights. She is dressed in a brown dress with white sleeves and a line of white ribbons running up around the length of her dress, with a large white apron over it, and a brown round hat with a pair of white wings standing on top of the head-wear. She seems to be selling kebabs, but the team cannot figure out what's on the kebab viewing from such a distance, and working hard to keep up with the atrocious number of customers in her booth. Regardless, she works with a faint smile on her face.

During this time, Antonio was only looking around, surprised by the many things that are around them, while Link only feels a sense of nostalgia, as if this land was no different to the lands of Hyrule, which he lived and was born upon. Richard only smiled at the scenery, while Gus took the moment to learn about this place from these sights, and even Fox was in awe, when he saw a male human-like youkai, with brown fox ears, talking with a few female villagers, all of them which seem to have joyful expressions.

"Holy... So this is the Human Village?" Antonio asked in awe. "It wouldn't even be an opinion to say this place would be quite vivid and mysterious! I mean, this kind of town defies logic, it's so traditional, yet so modern at the same time! I can't even get my head around about the various conventions of a town that it breaks!"

"This is." Richard replied. "I would say more about this place, but I rather let you get used to this land yourself. What I said on our walk here was only but a tiny morsel of information that regards this lands. I doubt that my words would be able to capture the many aspects of the land well enough. So I'll let you guys go free for a while. Be sure to meet back here, because this place is quite vast, and it's easy to get lost here."

"Well, I would welcome a bit of alone time. Ever since you drafted me Richard, you've always been by my side, only being away for a few minutes at most." Link commented. "I do appreciate your care for me though, but I need my own pace for things."

"Can't disagree with that, Link. Must be selfish of me to keep you on a leash, but you're smart enough to figure things yourself. I'll take Gus to Akyuu, and then I'll try and find Miss Kamishirasawa. She's one of the people that I need to befriend." Richard answered back to Link's comment.

"And why exactly you plan to meet her? I mean, those guards make her sound like she's territorial about this village." Fox asked, suspicious of Richard.

"That's for you to figure, Fox. If you can guess why, I'll reward you with a bit more information regarding my training here." Richard smirked at Fox. "But for now, it's 'for me to know, and you to figure out'. You've yet to know the secrets of the land, some that even I cannot know about, and some that'll being you nightmares."

Fox only scoffs at that, before leaving the group with a wave of a hand towards them, as Link soon leaves as well, walking down the middle avenue. Richard then grabs Gus's hand, before walking.

"Come on, Gus. We're wasting time here. The sooner I get you to Akyuu, the sooner your linguistic problem can be addressed, with less problems to note." Richard beckoned Gus with his other arm.

Gus only reacted to the slight tug, by walking faster, before walking alongside Richard, as the latter lets go of his grip, and they walk to a different street.

Antonio, having stopped looking around the village, then looked back at the group, only to see that they're all gone. He only sighs, before shrugging, and walking away from the group.

* * *

 _With Fox..._

As Fox went down the avenues and streets of Gensokyo's human village, he began to ponder about his current situation, as several different thoughts popped into his head, waiting for him to discuss and understand the ideas behind them. He manages to get a few interested and odd looks directed at him by the villagers, before they then returned to what they were doing.

In his view were the sight of a assorted crowd of yokai and human, mingling among each other. The only similarities that he can note for the crowd, was the fact that their clothes all belonged to a traditional style. He noted how some of the yokai were almost identical to humans, except they bear

 _There's something interesting about this place indeed. This place called Gensokyo is true to Richard's words._ Fox thought. _Even my own analytical method of viewing this world has left me with little to grasp on, except the pointers that Richard talked about. It's quite interesting that the land is so different, yet so familiar at the same time... Perhaps he's been here before, or he has grasped the knowledge of this land in his own universe? For all I know, humans might be superior beings of knowledge compared to us._

He then saw a group of young human children, that are playing with each other, their expressions filled with joy and happiness of being in each other's company. _Then why do I have this nagging feeling, that Richard is much more mysterious than that? Could it be that the reason why I followed him, is not just because I owe him a slight debt for ending the Aparoid threat prematurely, but also because I wanted to understand the more unique concepts of humanity through Richard? It's as if that I find him identical to a test subject in some sort of experiment, and that I followed him solely to analyse every aspect of him!_

Fox only shook his head in denial of that thought. _No._ Fox continued his own thought. _It's not that simple. I already know much of him, during the several months that I trained with him and his team. I can't possibly be still going on that idea even now. I found out the many things about Richard, including his own weaknesses that he doesn't catch upon. His Achilles's heel, is his own blind devotion to protecting his own friends. Altruism has its benefits, but that does not mean that there's no consequence of adapting such a policy. Maybe this 'Yukari' person placed Richard in this environment, just to change that trait of his... Who knows? They're two different people, and Richard seems to regard her as if she's some sort of deity._

He then walked past the crowd of humans, before ending up in a exposed space.

 _Well, at least he respects his own allies as their own people, and allow them to do whatever they wish, without much limit._ Fox thought. _Now regarding the people here... There was this male fox, that looks like he's a hybrid of Lylatian and human, with that tail and ears, yet he can fit himself in this environment, I wonder how he does it... Could it be that he knows how best to fit into this community? I need to ask him in the future, if I meet him again..._

Before Fox could ponder further, he managed to pick up the sound of flapping wings, presumably from the feathered wing of an avian being. He then turned around to the source of the sound, to see a woman with red eyes and semi-long black hair, wearing a white blouse, black short skirt, red getas, and a red tokin on her head. She also has a hauchiwa fan strapped to her waist, her neck contains a black camera with red lens, and in her hands lie a ink pen and a black notebook. From her back, sprouts two black feathered crow wings, and her face contains a sly smile.

" _Ayayaya! You look like that you're good scoop material!_ " The woman chuckled, flipping the pen around her fingers, with great skill and dexterity. " _I'm sure that Bunbunmaru News will have a reputation boost, when I get this in the headlines! 'Unknown Fox youkai Wanders the Human Village, Searching His Prey With Confusion', I can definitely see it being the word of the mouth!_ "

 _What the!? Where did this woman come from? She looks like she's not human, but she's not an animal like me._ Fox thought in surprise. _Perhaps she's one of the youkai that Richard told us, that inhabit this land... I do wonder what her intention with me is._

" _I'm sorry? Who exactly are you? You seem to look like a reporter._ " Fox replied.

" _Oh right. I forgot to introduce myself._ " The reporter replied, before striking a elegant pose with a hand over her face. " _I am Aya Shameimaru, head reporter of Bunbunmaru News, queen reporter of Gensokyo, the fastest youkai and tengu in this land, and one with the 'pure and honest Shameimaru' title!_ "

" _Um... That's a lot of titles, no?_ " Fox asked, unsure what kind of reaction he should have from what the tengu reporter just said. "I _doubt that you really would have that many._ "

" _No no no~_ " Aya said with a sly smile, wagging her finger in denial. " _In this land, the tengu are one of the fastest beings in this land. Especially when I'm at the top of it. And considering your words, you seem to have never read the Bunbunmaru News articles. Perhaps your first article will be the one about you_."

" _Wait, so you own a news company? That's preposterous, considering that you look like you're a full-time reporter!_ " Fox argued.

" _Appearances are deceiving here, my foxy interviewee. In Gensokyo, the truth is a needle in a haystack, waiting to be found with a careful eye like mine._ " Aya explained to Fox, as she leaned closer. " _Now, let's get on with our interview, shall we?"_

" _Uh, I prefer that I rather not be interviewed in this kind of circumstances. I already had enough 'close encounters with the strange kind', with those fairies from before._ " Fox denied her in a worried manner, shaking his head slightly to convey his point. " _Besides, you have that kind of hungering look on your face, like those who want something interesting from even the mundane of things. I don't think that I'm going to do well with you._ "

" _Oh, come on, it's just a few questions for the village's new guest! Is it so rude to answer a few questions for a truth-seeker like me?_ " Aya pleaded. " _All I just want to ask is what kind of youkai are you? You don't look like you were born here, with that kind of attire!_ "

" _This is getting nowhere..._ " Fox mumbled to himself, before turning to walk away. " _I'm not interested of having my personal identity being exposed to the public in a news article, so I politely ask that you leave me alone, Miss Shameimaru._ "

" _Wait wait wait!_ " Aya frantically called out, as she flew up in front of Fox. " _Can't you please answer a few questions!? Even just that question will suffice._ "

" _Fine, I'll answer that one, but no more._ " Fox sighed, having decided that she won't leave him, until she's given some sort of answer. " _My name is Fox Mccloud, and I am a Lylatian, from a universe far away from this land. I am no youkai, especially when I still have no clue about what kind of people that are._ "

"' _Lylatian'? What kind of being is that?_ " Aya asked, confused by the term Fox used. " _And how did you end up here, if you have come from a different universe? I got to know! This is important news that has to be known by everyone!_ "

" _I told you that I would answer your question, and I did._ " Fox grumbled at her, before walking past her, and into the crowd in front of him. " _Now leave me alone. You got your answers._ "

" _But you haven't answered the follow-up!_ " Aya shouted, as she chased after Fox, with a frantic expression. " _I have to know! If I don't get the information about this, then this kind of news will end in a cold trail!_ "

However, Fox already mingled into the crowd, making sure his head doesn't poke out of the crowd, and took a few turns in the crowd to shake her off, hiding in a alleyway between two stores, and peeking out, as he saw the tengu searching the crowd, letting out cries of " _Wait!_ " and " _I'm not done!_ ".

" _She's really persistent for a reporter. And fast as well. Even the ones back at the Lylat System know when to stop..._ " Fox said to himself. " _What drives her to seek the truth that deeply, especially my background of ending up here? I better keep an eye out for her. I have a feeling that this won't be the last time I'll encounter her._ "

Fox then left the alleyway, and made sure that Aya did not see him, while making his way across the town again.

Aya, having given up searching for Fox, was panting from exhaustion, as she failed to find her interviewee.

" _Damnit... There goes my scoop... This guy sure is good at being elusive, I'll give him that. I doubt I'll find him in this area._ " Aya huffed.

Aya then landed on the ground, before looking at the skies.

" _Fox Mccloud... I won't let you go so easily next time._ " Aya said determined, her eyes sparkling with a fiery spirit. " _I will find out who you are, and learn of how you got here. Or no-one will believe the Pure and Honest Shameimaru!_ "

Aya then left the town, searching for other materials for her newspaper.

* * *

 _Meanwhile, with Link..._

Link strolls down the avenue, as he only whistled a Hylian tune to himself, while silently chanting the lyrics to himself, and swaying his head slightly to the side.

"Praise be with Faeore~ Praise be with Din~ Stand side to side with your men~ And sing a song of victory~" Link sung with clarity.

He then continued to chant the lyrics of his song, before he felt his own stomach grumble from hunger, as he sheepishly covered his abdomen, making sure that no-one heard the sound.

"I wonder if this place has good food..." Link said. "It's been a long time since I had food other than the army rations that we are served back when I was in the Hylian army..."

Link then looked around, before he managed to find a food booth, that is serving teriyaki chicken kebabs, owned by a middle-aged Japanese man in a blue apron and regular civilian clothing with a white chef cap. He then moved into line, as he watched the owner serve the people with a smile, as the customers always returned the smile with one of their own, and a few words of thanks.

 _Chicken, huh... I wonder if it's got the same taste of Cucco meat..._ Link thought, as the line between began to shorten.

When it came to his turn, the shopkeeper was cleaning up his wares, to prepare for the next batch of customers, before he then looks up to see Link.

" _Oh? I never seen you before. Are you a new resident of this village? You do look like that you've come from a land like ours._ " The shopkeeper asked Link.

" _Uh... I'm not actually sure if I'm going to be staying here. One of my friends has business here, so I followed him for a chance to train up myself._ " Link replied, as he gazed off in the distance.

" _Oh... So you're a group of adventurers that have come across this land_." The shopkeeper said to Link. " _Still, you seem like that you're not like most of the visitors that claim to come from distant lands. Some of them tend to get on the nerve of people like me, and are very much unwelcome here. I suppose that you're not like them?_ "

" _No, not at all. My friends are nice people, and one of them is actually very respectful of the people here. He seems to address this land to be very vivid and reverent, and that everyone on the land is quite friendly._ " Link replied, as he looked back at the shopkeeper, snapping out of his previous gaze.

" _Well, I suppose your friend knows how to respect the traditional ways of the village._ " The shopkeeper complimented Link with a smile, as he was cleaning his gear, of a few minor spills and stains. " _Still, we better not hold up the line. What do you want from my stock?_ "

" _I would like one of those 'kebabs'._ " Link ordered. " _When I saw the line, it seemed that everyone enjoyed the taste of your kebabs, so I decided to have a taste of some local food, by having some of your food._ "

" _And how will you pay?_ " The shopkeeper asked, with a kind tone." _Don't worry about different currencies. As long as your currency has monetary value, you'll still be able to pay. After all, I can't leave a traveller starving with a empty stomach, right?_ "

" _Thank you very much. I do have some currency. Hope that it'll be enough for the meal._ " Link thanked the shopkeeper, before pulling out a Green Rupee. " _This is my lowest form of currency, so please forgive me if you need more_."

The shopkeeper looks at the Rupee with a single glance. " _Well, I'm sure that your little gem will-_ " The shopkeeper replied, before then halting mid-sentence, and whipping his head over to look at the green Rupee gem with a awed look, as the customers behind Link also stare at the Rupee with shock.

" _A GEM!?_ " The shopkeeper screeched in surprise, as he grabbed the Rupee into his hands. " _This... THIS..._ "

" _Is there a problem?"_ Link asked, with a worried expression, believing he has insulted the shopkeeper. " _I can give you more, if it's not enough._ "

" _No... Hah... No..._ " The shopkeeper huffed, trying to keep himself from making another outburst. " _You've paid enough... Enough for a month's supply of kebabs... Just come by, and I'll serve you and your friends, free of any charges... Just... let me cook up your order. I'll get it done._ "

The shopkeeper then hastily went to his cooking pot, and immediately focused his efforts into making Link's kebab, as it came out rather fast, as he soon dashed back to the counter of the booth, holding the kebab for Link.

" _Here you go... Have a nice day..._ " The shopkeeper spoke, while trembling slightly, in his effort to hide his joy.

" _Thank you. But giving me and my friends a month full of free food, is too much, even if I am just a mere traveller_." Link replied, as he took his kebab politely from the shopkeeper.

" _No, no... I insist. You've done me a great flavor, and I can't let it go without any repayment. Please accept the offer, I'm sure you'll enjoy all of this in the future._ "

" _If you say so. But I'll enjoy my meal. See you later!_ " Link said, as he then left the booth, just as soon as the shopkeeper pulled out the shiny Rupee, as he jumped into the air with joy, holding the Rupee.

" _I'M RICH! THE GODS OF THIS LAND HAVE BLESSED ME WITH A MIRACLE!_ " The shopkeeper roared out, unable to contain his joy at his newfound wealth.

The crowd of people, who have heard the commotion, then rushed over to the shopkeeper's booth, to see this 'miraculous' Rupee for themselves, as so much chatter could be heard from the surrounding people.

Link, however, was enjoying his large kebab, smiling at how tasty the meat was, and how the sauces on it complemented the rest of the food. He never even noticed the commotion that was behind him, over the usual sounds of people working and talking around him.

" _Ah, that hit the spot..._ " Link sighed in pleasure from a filled stomach. " _I don't know what possessed that man over there, but he sure sounded like he's happy. I didn't know I had that effect on people. And man, that 'kebab' tasted brilliant! If Zelda was here, she would be surprised how better this food is compared to even the most well-prepared royal meals she had before!_

Link then walked away from the booth, continuing his walk through the village.

 _Well, time to find the others. I'm sure that they'll find this place to be as nice as I think it is._ Link thought. _Anyway, where are the others?_

* * *

 _With Antonio..._

Antonio wasn't happy at all. He was quite enraged at the fact that there were countless stares pointed at him, all filled with disgust and fear. He even heard mutters of ' _what is that!?_ ', ' _get the human children away from it._ ', ' _What if it is dangerous?_ '

 _Well, thanks for the vote of confidence._ Antonio thought with disgust. _Just when I come into another world filled with humans, I'm treated like I'm some monster_ _. Some popularity of a hero crap..._

Antonio only snorted, before he only kept his head away from the offensive villagers. His mind was filled with the thought of finding his friends, so that he'll be safe among them.

As Antonio walked along the streets, he saw a group of boys come his way, but they weren't human. One of them had only a single eye, and short scruffy black hair, another had two horns on his head with red straight hair that runs down his forehead, and another had brown wolf ears sitting on top of his head, and brown hair that had a few spikes, and the last one, the one leading the group, had a green cap on his head, with some strands of blue hair poking out of it, and had slightly shorter arms than the rest of the group. They were all wearing child-sized kimonos, and were wearing leather shoes.

They all approached Antonio with a astonished look on their faces, as the green-cap boy approached Antonio.

" _Whoa... What are you_?" The green-cap boy asked with awe. " _You look so cool! With those cool costume and that kind of look!_ "

Antonio, having been surprised by the boys, only looked at them wide-eyed, and patting the head of the one who approached him.

" _Thank you. All I have heard today, were that I looked disgusting or scary._ " Antonio thanked the boy, with a sincere smile on his face. " _It's nice to see that children like you can tell when someone or something is truly cool. I should ask for your names. That way, I might actually look for you children._ "

"Oh! My name is Kaito, and I'm a kappa youkai! My dream is to become one of the best engineers in this land! My idol is Nitori Kawashiro, because she's the best out of all of us kappa!" The green-capped boy introduced himself in a bold tone, while sticking his chest out in pride. " _There is nothing that she can't make with time and resources, because she's that skillful!_ "

" _I'm Kenta, one of the wolf tengu youkai that live in the village with my parents. I want to grow up quickly, so that I can be a help to the reputation of the wolf tengu._ " The wolf-eared boy replied in a dignified tone.

" _I'm Tarou, a young oni youkai. I heard that oni are strong, so I work hard to make sure that I can be the strongest I can be!_ " The horned boy spoke with a energetic voice.

" _Uh... I'm... Kenji... I'm one of the rare cyclops youkai here. I'm quite quiet, and I love studying. But no-one likes me in my school, except my friends._ " The one-eyed boy answered Antonio in a timid voice.

Antonio only approaches Kenji, before kneeling down and smiling.

" _Don't worry about it. People may hate you, Kenji, but not everyone is like that. They can call you all they want, but when you grow up, they'll be begging for your help, when you become so successful that everyone will be at awe at your skills. Even if they hurt you, you got your friends to help you. And with friends, you'll be able to strike through even the hardest of situations_." Antonio said in a cheerful tone.

Kenji only looked at Antonio, before smiling gently. " _I'll try..._ " He replies.

Antonio then looks at the other children, one by one, as he only noted at how their features differed from other human children.

" _Anyway, I'm Antonio, and I'm a hedgehog. I may look much different than the ones you seen as animals, but I'm one of them brought into a human-like form._ " Antonio said to them. " _I wear these clothes, because I find them to be quite cool. Still, never thought that you kids out of all people would adore the look. After all, heroes like me are a rare occurrence. It'll take a lot to stop people like us. For me? I have a little power that makes me a suitable person for a hero job._ "

" _Whoa... So you're some strong person, just like the oni and the other youkai races? I heard heroes were people who had the power to beat anyone who fought against them, and they were always nice people who cared for the people close to them, and the society they live in._ " Tarou asked with anticipation in his voice.

" _Yep. I'm quite strong, and I have the spirit to never give up helping others. In fact, there's a friend that actually shares the same spirit. He wants to protect all of his friends, including me, with all of his might._ " Antonio confirmed. " _Hell, he always got my back, as I got his. That is why we're friends, because we fight together, we train together, and we take on life together._ "

" _Wow..._ " The boys said in synchronisation.

" _Anyway, you seem like good kids._ " Antonio said. " _But I got to go. Just one last thing I like to ask. How did you get together?_ "

" _Well, we found that we like the same things, and we have similar dreams. So we play together to build up our friendship, so that we become a great group in the future._ " Kaito explained. " _It's brilliant, isn't it?_ "

" _That's right. Always keep working towards your dreams, and make lots of friends._ " Antonio replied. " _With your friends, achieving your dreams will become a lot more possible than you think. Just look at how some of the popular people around here got to what they are today._ "

" _We will._ " Kenta said with a determined expression. " _So if we worked together, we'll be able to become as strong as you when we grow up?_ "

" _Right on the idea. But don't forget to train with determination and spirit, so that you'll grow to be stronger every time._ " Antonio responded with a thumbs-up to the children. " _Well, see you later, kids! Hope we meet again. I'll be sure to introduce my friends next time!_ "

"Bye, Antonio!" The children called out, waving to Antonio, as he waved back with a smile, as the children then sprinted back in the opposite direction, before they disappear around the corner of one of the shops. He then turned around.

" _Ah... Those kids sure would have been some great friends, when I was young._ " Antonio said to himself. " _Well, at least I'll be one of their idols, just like my own father did, for countless people_."

Antonio then continued to walk down the street, as he looked for his friends, although this time, he's got something to talk about with them.

* * *

 _With Gus and Richard..._

"You liking this place, Gus?" Richard asked his companion in a happy tone, as they walked side-by-side down the way to Akyuu's residence. "This place is one of the only places that I know which retains its traditional attire, yet looks like it's made in modern times. Such a thing only adds to the beauty of this place, right?"

The street was surrounded by countless stores, as they saw that the street was bustling with all kinds of residents and people.

"I guess so..." Gus replied with a bit of sadness, as he looked at the chatting groups of people. "If only I could speak Japanese, I would be able to understand this society well enough to integrate with it."

Richard heard the sadness in Gus's words, and patted his shoulder. "Cheer up, Gus. I may not be the best person to help you with this situation, but I'll do all I can to help you. After all, that's what true friends would do, right?" Richard assured Gus in a comforting manner.

Gus only looked at Richard, before his eyes lightened up a bit. "Thanks, Richard." Gus thanked Richard, with a thin smile.

He then looked around, as he saw the place around, before he then turned to Richard again, to ask him a question.

"Speaking of which, who's Akyuu?" Gus asked. "You seem to put a lot of trust in that person to help me, so please tell me a bit about them."

"Oh? Her name is actually Akyuu no Hieda, in full name, and she's one of the most important people in this village, next to Miss Kamishirasawa herself." Richard replied. "You'll see what help she can bring you."

They soon arrive at the Akyuu residence, which was a two-storey building, with pink roofing, and a large sliding door at the entrance of the house, which had pink screening over the door. Richard then stopped by the door, and knocked quietly on the door a few times, waiting for a response.

After a few seconds, the sound of footsteps can be heard on the other side of the room, before the door was slid open to reveal a girl with short purple hair with a pink five-petalled flower placed on the right side of her head as a ornament, and purple eyes. She wore traditional Japanese maid clothing, with yellow-coloured sleeves that have pictures of flowers on them, a green vest, and a red hakama skirt that is tied up by a red and white obi.

She then looks at the group, with a sharp glare, before she then said to Richard, "どんな御用でしょうか？" (How can I help you?)

"ここの友人は流暢な日本語を話すことができないので、私は彼が日本語を理解する方法を見つけるためにあなたの助けを求める。" Richard replied. (My friend here is unable to speak fluent Japanese, so I seek your help to help find a way for him to understand Japanese.)

The girl only cleared her throat, before she then turned to Gus.

"I see." The girl responded, in English, much to Gus's surprise. "So you're after my help then. My name is Hieda No Akyuu."

"You... You're Akyuu? And you can speak English and Japanese well!?" Gus asked in shock.

"Yes. That is my preferred name. The reason I can speak English, is because it's the only certain way that I can communicate with the majority of Outsiders who have landed here before." Akyuu replied to his question. "Now, what are your names?"

"I am Richard Liu. A hero-in-training, and I intend to become a resident of this land." Richard answered Akyuu's question.

"Gus Campbell. That's my full name." Gus responded back. "I'll be very thankful, if I can get the help I need from you."

"Hm... That confirms my suspicions of you being Outsiders." Akyuu replied. "Before I help you, I would like to ask you one question."

"Yes?" Richard asked.

"How did you arrive here? Was it due to Yukari using her own gap-boundary powers to send you here from the Outside World? Or did you arrive here on your own death? Or is there a deeper meaning behind this, that involve Yukari's own plans?" Akyuu questioned the two of them.

"I cannot say much about it, Akyuu. But I can tell you that I came here because I am to train myself here. I do hope that you'll understand. Gus is not the only one who came with me. There are three others, that I'll introduce to you in the near future. Unlike him, they're well and capable of speaking the mother tongue of the land. That is why I sought your help. As Yukari has told me, you are a being of great knowledge, and since you know both language as fluent as each other, Gus will be needing your help quite a lot."

"Then I shall help." Akyuu replied. "Since you have taken all the trouble to come over here, and you have no other hidden intentions hidden behind your words, I will fulfil that request."

Richard only bowed slightly, although slightly offended by some of her words. "Thank you for choosing to help my friend. I'm sure that I'll do my best to help return the favour back to you, and Gus will be most grateful for this."

"Don't jump to conclusions yet. I can only help Gus find a way to solve the problem. How he will manage to overcome it, will be up to him." Akyuu replied, before she then signalled Gus to come with him, with a hand gesture. "Follow me, Gus. And you, Richard, remain outside, until your friend comes out."

"May I ask if I can explore the village in the mean-time?" Richard asked. "I would like to get to know this land as best as I can."

Akyuu gave Richard a faint smile. "You do not need to ask me for that. It is of your own choice." She answered back in a warm tone.

Gus only watched at how the other two people are communicating with each other.

 _Richard... Although you had few friends like me, you always cared for all of them, without any hesitation. Ever since we began this journey, I could see that you have matured slowly but surely about it._ Gus thought, as he watched Richard converse. _You always were the guy who would put smiles on many faces, with your own antics. And now, it should be my turn to support you back instead, but... If only I could understand this world..._

Akyuu then tapped Gus slowly on the right shoulder, carefully to snap Gus out of his thoughts, without disturbing him too much. He then turns to face her, as he looks at her silently waiting for him, with a patient expression.

"Let me take you to where you will find what you need." Akyuu said to him.

Gus nods at Akyuu, as she slid the door to the outside shut, before leading him across the mansion, as their footsteps soon disappear from the hearing range of those nearby.

Outside, Richard waited around the Akyuu residence, as he looked for anyone or anything of interest. He observed how the villagers went by their daily life, as it reminded him of the times he was in his own city, where so many types of people peppering the streets, doing their own things. To him, the villagers were no different, despite being from a era of renaissance technology.

He leaned against the wall beside the door, preparing to slowly doze off. The soft light around him was about to lull into sleep, warm and comforting on the young hero.

He was then suddenly interrupted by something tapping his right leg, as he looked down to see a worn, but still sturdy kemari ball. He picked the ball up with both hands, before looking up to see a group of young human boys, as they are chasing after the ball, as they then see Richard, and look at him.

" _Excuse me, mister, but can we have our ball back?_ " One of them asked Richard in a polite tone. " _We didn't mean to disturb you like that."_

Richard, upon seeing how the boys are looking at him, only nods slightly with a smile, as he then shifts his foot under the ball, and uses the side of his foot to lob the ball in front of them, as it landed softly, rolling around on the ground, and stopping in front of the boys.

" _No need to ask. It's your ball after all._ " He then moves off the wall, as the boys smile, having their ball returned back.

" _Woah, what was that you did?_ " Another one of the boys asked in a surprised tone. " _We usually kick it along the ground, but you managed to kick it into the air, and lob it back at us! It's so cool!_ "

Richard, being complimented, only rubs the back of his head sheepishly.

" _Hehe... Thanks, kid._ " He replied. " _But still, back in where I come from, we had balls like these, and we were used to kicking these balls into the air. But, there is a even better trick I can show you. Mind I have the ball for just one moment? I'll return it back to you, after I'm done!"_

The boys didn't even hesitate, as they nudged the kemari ball towards Richard.

" _Show us! Show us!"_ The boys chanted in a energetic tone, as they awaited Richard's trick.

Richard smiled, as he used his foot to roll the ball back, before then flicking it into the air, and proceeding to juggle the ball, alternating between both feet with each hit, all while the boys were gaping in awe at how precise and timed each juggle was.

" _This here, is a trick that even young boys like you can learn without much difficulty. It's called the 'Rabbit Juggle' back where I come from, but you can give it any name you want, so long as you can do it well!"_ Richard explained, as he kept his focus on the ball.

The boys clapped at Richard's performance, as some of the bystanders also saw how Richard was juggling the ball well, and came to watch how Richard was juggling it well, attracting a moderate-sized crowd of people around Richard, as he continued his streak of ball juggling. The crowd also let out several complimenting 'oohs' and 'aahs', as some even cheered him out loud.

 _Gotta thank my years in practising soccer with my father here..._ Richard thought. _If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't have the skill to create a juggling act right here._

Richard's legs were beginning to tire, as he began to pant, before he was prepared to knock the ball higher up with one final kick to end the juggle combo.

However, he accidentally kicked the ball in the wrong place, causing the ball to soar over the air, and cause a soft 'thunk' sound, as there was the sound of a female person letting out a surprised 'OH!', along with the sound of someone hitting the ground, causing Richard to pale slightly and the crowd let out a collective gasp.

" _Oh dear..."_ Richard blurted, before he then went into the crowd, nudging people and softly moving them away from his path. " _Excuse me... Excuse me... I need to see who got hit by that... I didn't mean to..."_

When Richard managed to come out of the crowd, he stumbled forwards, as his head was down.

" _Many apologies for that... I got carried away doing some free entertainment as a traveller."_ Richard replied. " _If you find it in your heart to excuse this clumsy man, I'll do my best to pay you back for this."_

Richard then looked up, to apologise again, this time, with him and the victim seeing each other eye-to-eye. However, the moment he saw who was before him, he let out a cry of surprise, as he staggered back.

Before him, was a female youkai with brown eyes and long silver hair with blue highlights. She wore a dark blue dress with white short sleeves, and a red ribbon is tied to the bottom of the collar, and black shoes with red ribbons on top of them. Beside her, was a blue hat, which was shaped like a pagoda with glyphs inscribed all over the top, and a red bow on top of it. The female youkai was also looking him with a condemning look, as she was on her bottom, rubbing her head.

" _K...K...Keine!?"_ Richard cried out, before he knelt down on both knees in front of her. " _You... You're the youkai guardian of the Human Village, Keine Kamishirasawa!?"_

The female youkai's eyes widened, both when Richard spoke in fluent Japanese, and when Richard spoke about her.

" _How do know my name?"_ The female youkai asked Richard. " _No-one can associate that name to me, unless they have seen me addressed by that name!"_

Richard only nodded slightly at her chiding, as he sighed slightly.

" _I heard the name from the guards, when I first came to this village, along with several of my friends."_ Richard replied. " _I took a guess about you being Keine, because you seemed like that you were a authoritative figure, and I heard from a few people, that a 'silver-haired and blue-dressed woman' was the guardian I was looking for. Still, I didn't expect to bump into that quickly... especially under these circumstances."_

The now-identified Keine only sighs, before she glares at Richard. " _Yes, I am Keine Kamishirasawa."_ She replied. " _But what does that mean to you?_ "

Richard only smiles brightly, as he places his hands on both of her shoulders, ignoring the crowd who are chattering around them both.

" _I've been looking for you._ " Richard answered her question, with a kind tone. " _I've actually want to meet you, and ask if I can be allowed residence in this village._ "

Keine gives Richard a puzzled look, before she politely take Richard's arms off her own shoulders, and then stands up, dusting her lower dress with her hands, and finally shaking it slightly to finish off getting what remains of the dirt off her clothes. She then picks up her hat, and places it back on her head, before turning to Richard, as the crowd around them began to disperse, since there is nothing happening for now.

" _Do tell why exactly you're asking me this question, when I am not in charge of this village?_ " Keine asked, slightly annoyed by Richard's sudden actions. " _I do not know enough about you to make that kind of decision on the spot."_

" _Because I have two things that I need to ask for you._ " Richard replied, before using his fingers to list off his points. " _One, I didn't come alone here. I came with four other travellers like myself. Two are human like me, and the other two... They're quite resembling of the humanoid youkai like you, except they're more animal-like than the usual humanoid. The second thing, is more of a personal request. I know that in order to have the money to buy a residence to house me and my companions in, and to buy every necessity necessary for us, so I offer my help._ "

Keine raises an eyebrow, at hearing Richard offering help. " _Oh? Do tell me how you plan to earn your keep in this village?"_ She says, as she crosses her arms in a formal manner.

" _I offer my skills to assist in daily tasks. Whether it is that you ask for me to tend to the crops in the outskirts, to help cook and serve food for the villagers, or to help deliver loads to specified locations, as long as it is a task that I can learn, or something that I can do without problems, any work will suit me. I do have a few preferences in work, but I can provide you help in all aspects of the village, should you need it. For the work, I'll work as much as you need. Sure, I'll tire like the usual human, but I will not stop my work, unless I am forced to by my employers, and I'll memorise every single technique that I will need, in order to complete my tasks, and practise them over and over, until I can succeed in giving you the quality of work the village needs."_

" _Go on... Or is that all you have to say?"_ Keine said, as she nodded slightly.

" _I'm not the only one who can assist with work here, Kamishirasawa. The companions I have stated before, are more than happy to help contribute to the society, should there be any tasks for them to do. One of my two non-human companions, actually can run at speeds that no human could dare reach, and still have control over his own movement. This makes him a perfect person to transport and deliver items around the village, or even from the village to the world outside. And the other is actually a hardened hunter. Unfortunately, he is not too proficient with the weapons of this land, and thus will need time to train with them. However, given that time, he will become one of the most experienced hunters that you will find. And my human friends are no slouch either, and you'll see why in time."_

The female youkai smiles lightly at this. " _You truly do have a few unique friends. I'm sure that their abilities would be helpful if they are used to help the community here. However, I'll have to consider it for a while."_

" _I'll be fine with that. After all, I'll need to find a place to stay, and then do some work to pay off the rent._ " Richard says. " _And mind if I ask something, if it isn't too selfish of me to say it?"_

 _"_ _What is it, then? We've been talking for a while, and although I appreciate the talk, I have duties of my own to complete."_

Richard looks away for a while, before then taking a deep sigh, as if he was about to say something that may sound ridiculous.

" _May I ask if I can assist you in your teaching, if I have the time to do so? I'm quite educated in my own right, and I know how to properly teach children, no matter what species they are, or what kind of person they are."_ Richard said with a worried expression. " _Even more, I know English well enough to teach it to them. Sure, I may be a bit young to be a teacher now, but I know most things about teaching, and would like to try my hand at it. So... Is that too much said?"_

Keine remains silent, before then chuckling slowly, causing Richard to stiffen up, as he is slightly panicked.

 _Did I say anything wrong!? Oh dear lord, please don't try to embarrass me, please don't try to embarrass me, for god's sake!_ , Richard thought.

" _Actually, you'd be more than welcome. For my school, age doesn't matter much, as long as you have the teaching skills to help educate children to be better people."_ Keine consented to Richard's words. " _Still, I would like to see what kind of teacher you may be. Maybe next time we meet, I might actually take you to my class, and you can act as an assistant teacher. Just so that you can learn the ropes about teaching in this school, alright?"_

Richard lets out a relieved sigh at this.

" _Then I'm glad you've accepted me. When the time comes, I'll do my best to help."_ Richard replied with a smile. " _And I better not hold you up for any longer. I'll be taking my leave, dear guardian of the village. I do hope you have a nice day. And once again, sorry about the incident."_

 _"I wish the same to you, young and kind stranger. And there is nothing to it. It merely surprised me"_ Keine responded back to him. _"May I ask of your name, before you leave?"_

Richard smiles, before then bowing down deeply, with his arms widened out, in a gracious gesture.

" _Richard Liu, traveller of the lands, and the hard-working savant."_ He declared in a humble tone. " _I hope we meet again, Keine, O great guardian of the village."_

Keine lets out another chuckle, at how Richard's bow was over-exaggerated, before then turning around and leaving the street, while Richard stood back up, before he then headed back to the doors of the Akyuu residence, and leaned against it, while waiting for Gus to come out.

 _Well, at least I managed to get a meeting with Keine. That should help to keep my relations with the village well, as long as I make a few moments of banter with her. And what's one more friend to my pile? Having a were-hakutaku, who loves education and cares for her people, as someone close, can makes several things easier for me._ He thought.

He then looked at the bright afternoon sun in the sky, and the light azure sky that was almost too pure to be real in Richard's eyes.

 _After all, I might actually find a good place to settle here..._

* * *

 _With Gus..._

As Gus walked through the Akyuu residence, he could only marvel at how oriental, yet beautiful the place was. He could see patterns in the shape of sakura trees, and willow trees on the walls, with a display of skill that could be only matched by that of some of the most famous artists back in his own world, and the doors are painted with the images of famous Japanese artwork, with the waves in the masterpiece of 'The Great Wave off Kanagawa; decorating the lower half of several doors.

He soon followed the short girl up a flight of wooden stairs, as they passed by yet more rooms in a long hallway, complete with bookshelves and other writings tools, before making their way to the door at the end of the hallway.

"Here we are, Campbell." Akyuu said. "There is something that I can give you in here."

Akyuu then pulls the door open, as they end up in a room with a bamboo floor tiles, as their footsteps leave behind soft squishing sounds, as the young savant leads Gus into a series of book-shelves, before then grabbing a sturdy wooden and pulling out a reasonably large pink and green book, with the name 'Akyuu's Book of Japanese and English Translations', and hands it to Gus.

"This should help you to get acquainted with the language of this land." Akyuu informed Gus. "You'll need to take your time memorising all of this, because this book has a lot of words that you're going to be using a lot."

"Thank you, Akyuu no Hieda." Gus replied, as he took the book. "I don't know how to repay you for all of this."

"The only way you're going to repay me, is by staying alive. I have done this so many times with Outsiders, and they all die, either because they are too curious, arrogant, kind, or too affiliated to any emotion, which always led to their demise." Akyuu responded back, turning her head away.

"Wait... their 'demise'!?" Gus blurted out, frightened by the words. "As much as I have conquered fear a bit, when I fought on my own a few times in the near past, but this REALLY doesn't help my confidence!

"I'm not joking at all, and sorry if it scares you, but that's the hard truth. Unless you become strong, you're on a timer before you're going to end up as youkai food." She intoned back. "And that reminds me, of something I need to give to you as a extra precaution."

Akyuu then gets down from her stool, and shifts it to another book shelf, before pulling out a white book, with the title 'Gensokyo Chronicle- English Version, Edition 10.5' on the top in red traditional letters.

"Here's a book of most things you need to know about Gensokyo, from the types of youkai, and their biographies, to what kind of places there are, and the laws of each place." She explains the book to Gus.

"Well, at least this will help my survival odds a bit..." Gus says, having calmed down enough from just before. "And mind if I ask for a favour?"

"What is it? If it not within my moral choices, or within my overall abilities, I'm afraid I can't help."

"It's about Richard." Gus said, as he glanced away, slightly worried about his friend. "I ask that you keep an eye on him. It may sound selfish of me, but I worry more about his safety, than I do about mine."

"And why exactly is that? Why are you worried about your friend, so much, that you want someone like me to keep an eye on him?" Akyuu questions him in response.

"It's because... he's pushing himself too far." The young boy replies. "After a certain... incident involving us, he almost died saving all of us, and yet he's still as determined and friendly as ever. It just doesn't make sense... There had to be something that caused Richard to act like this, even after a devastating event like that. I feel like, that if he pushes himself too far, he'll end up destroying himself in the process, and that is something I can't allow, as one of his only friends. When I saw him break himself over a stupid decision where he placed all of us in a bad situation, I knew that the responsibility of being a hero is really crushing down upon him. It's as if his attitude normally, was merely a facade he put up, in order to lead us by example... It's like saying that he's afraid, but he's mustering fake courage to fight. I don't want him to push himself too far, or he'll end up fighting a battle he cannot win."

Gus then kneels on the ground, as he kowtowed his head to the ground, with a desperate expression.

"So please! Help Richard, before he ends up breaking himself!" Gus shouted.

Akyuu remained silent, as she then let out a quiet sigh, before getting off the stool, placing the book beside Gus, sitting down beside him, and finally stroking his head gently with a sympathetic look.

"There, there." Akyuu said in a slightly comforting manner. "If that was all that was stuck in your heart, I'll consider helping. However, it will take time. I will see if Richard is truly as reckless as you say, and if it is then, I'll do all I can to dissuade him from pushing himself too far."

Gus, then remained silent, before the strokes stir up his inner emotions, causing him to cry slightly, as the tears landed on the bamboo floor.

"Thank you... Thank you, Akyuu..."

"Alright, you have everything you need." Akyuu said. "I'l help you ensure that your friend does not end up in too much trouble, but you need to make sure that you'll give this to your friend as well. I doubt he knows Gensokyo as well he think he does. After all, Gensokyo is named quite aptly for a very good reason."

Gus only nods slightly, as he wipes the tears off his face, before getting up, and picking up the English-translated Gensokyo Chronicle with him.

"I will." Gus uttered with a determined tone.

Akyuu then takes Gus back down to the entrance of the hallway, before Gus walks through, and turns to wave goodbye to Akyuu, who only smiles at him, as she shuts the door.

He then turns to see Richard, who is still resting on the ledge of the wall, as his friend then turns to face him.

"So... Did Akyuu manage to help do something to help you?" He asked Gus.

"Yeah, she did. She gave me this two books." Gus said, as he showed what was in his arms to Richard. "One of them was a dictionary which can translate between English and Japanese, written by herself, and another was some chronicle about this land. She said that one had a lot of information about this place, and it's in English to be helpful for me and the others."

"Huh. Neat. I never thought that you would get something penned by Akyuu herself." Richard commented about the books, with interest in his voice. "Yeah, you'll need to take your time learning through this, Gus. After all, this is all new to you, so take your time to learn up. Me and the rest of us, will cover the talking until you learned enough to have proper conversations with people. As for the Gensokyo Chronicle... Mind if you hand me that? I want to make sure that this is the thing we'll be needing. Not that I care, since it's lucky that she would give that to you, or she pities you so much, that she gave you this as a safety measure."

"HEY! That's uncalled for!" Gus replied, slightly annoyed by Richard's words. "Sure, I'll give it to you, but you know that you have me and the others covering you, so don't go too far with all of this, okay?"

"Alright then." Richard said, as Gus handed him the book, as Richard then opened it, before flipping through it, as he raised his eyebrows a few times, before then closing it, and handing it back. "Yep. It's the genuine article. You've hit jackpot, my buddy. With this, you'll know enough to survive in this place long enough for our training to be done. She sure must be sympathetic, if she actually cares enough to give this to you, to keep yourself alive."

Gus nodded at this. "Quite right. She was quite nice, when I thought she would be more... apathetic about all of this." Gus voiced his thoughts of the pink-haired chronicler.

"Well, we'll be meeting her quite a lot, especially on these streets. Maybe then, you'll see the more friendly personality of hers in time." Richard said, as he got up. "Come on, let's head back to where we started. I'm sure everyone will be meeting us here."

"Yeah."

The two young men soon leave the place, as they head back the junction where they started.

* * *

 _With the group..._

The members of the group soon reunite at the junction, as Fox was panting slightly, exhausted from his running, Antonio came in with a smile, Link returned patting his stomach with a gleeful smile on his face, and Gus and Richard came back, with Gus holding the two books they have.

"So... How was your first moments in the village, guys?" Richard asks with a smile on his face. "Anything you found interesting?"

"I think I might have offended someone..." Link said. "But still... I got to have a taste of their cuisine, and I could only say that it's just as good as the food made by famous chefs in Hyrule."

"Just peachy... I got chased by some strange bird reporter by the name of Aya Shameimaru... Barely managed to escape that crazed woman." Fox answered back with a sarcastic tone, glaring at Richard.

"Met some kids who seem to be interested to have me as their idol." Antonio replied, as he then shrugged with his arms out. "Other than that, there was nothing else to note."

"Anyway, how about you, Richard?" Link questioned Richard.

"Managed to strike a deal with Keine, and got some well-needed rest. Somehow, fighting a mechanical abomination really makes you tired for quite a long time. And got something to help brush Gus's vocabulary up to date, and a guide to the land itself for you to read." Richard answered back, while stretching his arms. "Anyway, I forgot to tell you guys that she's the guardian of the village, and thus, one of the people who holds the 'community leader' title here, so if you find her, just treat her as you would with a fellow companion."

"Wait... That woman, Keine is a guardian!?" Link gasped, before he then smiled, as Richard nodded back. "Well, that's quite nice! I guess she and I might have some similarities, and we could be friends someday. After all, we've yet to know much about this land."

Richard then turned to Fox, with a serious look. "And Fox, you might want to be careful here. Aya ain't one to give up on you. And if it means that you have been found by her, it's only a inevitability that we ourselves will be found. So, I suggest you stay low for a while, as I get us the things we need in order to live here." He warned the Lylatian in a solemn tone. "That also means that you should keep that blaster to yourself, unless you're in a last-resort situation."

"Yeah... Like I don't plan on doing that... I've had enough of journalism and media from that girl for a while. And I ain't going to be begging for attention for a long time." Fox mumbled.

Richard then lightened up his expression, returning back to his friendly demeanour.

"Anyway, we'll need to find a place to stay. Any suggestions?"

"Well, I would say we find a hotel to stay in, but by the looks of it, this place barely has any important modern technology, so that idea is out of question." Antonio suggested.

"How about one of those large buildings? I saw one on the way to a food stand. It looked like that it was just as large as one of the mess halls we had." Link added.

Richard adopted a thinking pose, as he considered Link's suggestion, before then nodding.

"Yeah, I guess there's no harm in having a look, Link." Richard responded. "Lead the way, friend."

Link soon led the group, as they walked through one of the streets, before they stop near a large Japanese-styled house, that was by the northern gate of the village. It had two storeys, with a brown tiled roof, and had several glass windows on the second floor of the house, and transparent sheet doors in the front, with a small garden in front of it.

The group had different reactions to it, as Antonio whistled at how nice the house was, compared to the other ones in the village, while Fox only smiled at how the house had a modern look to it, while Richard was shaking with excitement, as he grabs Gus, and lets out whoops, and shakes his friend.

"HOT-DAMN! Link, you are a damn genius!" Richard said. "Now all we have to do, is to find a person who will sell it to us!"

Richard soon notices that there was a elderly Japanese man with a stoic expression, who was sitting on a desk just in front of the house, with the Japanese words for 'Real Estate' in front of it, as he then walk towards him.

" _Um, excuse me, mind if I ask if this house is for sale?"_ Richard asked politely.

The old man looks up to Richard, before nodding slightly. " _Indeed, this house has been recently constructed by the kappas of Youkai Mountain, and some free-lance Oni construction workers. So far, there has been no-one who will claim the house. So you are free to rent it for living._ "

" _Thank you for telling me all of this. Mind if I ask what is the rent fee?"_ Richard replied back.

The old man soon lifted both of his hand, with one having two fingers up, and the other having all of the 5 fingers up. " _Your rent is 2500000 yen a month. Can you afford that?"_

" _Not currently. But we will be able to afford it, by the time it is due."_ Richard answered back. " _We've got the skills that are needed in here, so we'll find jobs to help pay off rent."_

" _No need. Since you're travellers in need of a house, you've a month free from rent. But however, I expect you to pay back the next month. I hate people who take advantage of these deals, and don't do what they promised to do."_ The old man stated back. " _Still, what's a young person like you, doing travelling in such a place?"_

" _I have a special purpose here. As if I belong here, somehow..."_ Richard replied, with a unsure expression.

" _Alright then. Enjoy your new house, friend. I'll be checking to see if you're living well here. After all, a house built by onis and kappas, is a rare place to live in._ " The old man said, as he got up. " _I'll be sure to put up a sign, and inform the elders of the village your residency in this place."_

" _Thank you very much, sir."_ Richard said, as he bowed gently at the old man, as he left the table.

He then turned to his group, who were still chatting amongst themselves about the house.

"...So I say this place might be quite nice for all of us." Gus finished off, before noticing Richard. "Oh hey, Richard. How did the deal go?"

"It was a sweet deal. We just need to pay just below 3000 dollars each month for the house, and we've got a free month to live. Still, we better not let it go to waste. First, we settle in this place, and then we find our jobs. After all, for quite a long time, this will be where we live."

Antonio only groaned at this. "Man, I hope this place won't be entirely as backwards as this village." He replied.

Richard only chuckled at that, before placing a hand on Antonio's shoulder. "Trust me, this place gets better, so don't be so blue, you'll be cheering for this land in no time soon!"

Antonio chuckled at Richard's comment. "I guess you're right."

Richard then entered the door of his new home, with his friends following from behind, as he takes his first step to settle in this land...

* * *

A/N: So there we have it, the next chapter in the second volume. To be honest, trying to create a few situations that would suit each character is quite difficult, and I couldn't decide what kind of house would fit for their stay in Gensokyo, so I stuck for something more like Akyuu's residence, except with a few changes, that you'll see in the next chapter. Anyway, Richard's just settling in this land, so don't be expecting any grand battles, or interesting events, until his stay progresses.

Anyway, be seeing you in the next chapter, when it's made.


End file.
